The Last Five Years

A DVD review from The Movie Snob.

The Last Five Years  (C).  If this little musical actually played in any theaters in Dallas, I totally missed it.  But I read a rave review in The Weekly Standard, and so when I saw the DVD on sale at Target I snapped it up.  It didn’t hurt that it stars Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air).  It’s based on an off-Broadway show, and it is the story of the romantic journey of Jamie (Jeremy Jordan, TV’s Smash) and Cathy (Kendrick).  I’m not giving anything away by revealing that there’s a gimmick: the characters alternate singing songs about their story, but Cathy starts at the end, and Jamie starts at the beginning.  So we know from the very first scene how it ends: Jamie takes off, and Cathy is heartbroken.  Knowing the destination, how much did I enjoy the ride?  Eh, decently well.  On the plus side, the performers were good, and Kendrick in particularly gives it her all.  A few of the songs are catchy, and the movie moves along briskly, wrapping up in 94 minutes.  On the other hand, many of the songs are kind of generic, and the story moves so fast I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters very well.  If you like musicals, I say give it a try and see what you think.