Netflix Summary:
A novelist and his actress wife recall the story of their relationship through music, starting from opposite points in time and meeting in the middle.
FYA Summary:
Beca from Pitch Perfect and Winn from Supergirl sing about the ups and downs of their relationship and the ups and downs of being an actress and a writer.
Familiar Faces:
Anna Kendrick as Cathy Hiatt
It’s no news that we’re big fans of Anna’s here at FYA HQ. She’s not only gorgeous, but she’s ridiculously talented, both onscreen and off. But nowhere does she excel more than in a musical—and in The Last Five Years, Anna steals the show as Cathy. There are hints of other roles of hers in Cathy, such as Beca from Pitch Perfect, but Cathy’s (unfortunately) a much more melancholy character.
Jeremy Jordan as Jamie Wellerstein
Until seeing this movie, I had no idea that Jeremy was a singer; I never watched Smash, and I’m not well-versed in the musical theater scene. He’s quite good, and he’s also quite good at playing a lead role, which those of us who watch him on Supergirl don’t really get to see. (Don’t get me wrong, Winn’s adorable and a great character, but he’s totally a sidekick.) It’s unfortunate that Jamie’s kind of an awful guy at times.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Low, Unless You Have Musical Theater Friends
Unlike most musical movies I’ve seen, which have large amounts of non-musical moments interspersed with the musical numbers, The Last Five Years is overwhelmingly song. The plot is easy to follow, but if you’re not a fan of musicals, this isn’t a movie for you.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: High
Although The Last Five Years is billed as a romantic comedy, there are very few minutes of levity. It’s an overwhelmingly depressing movie, and it’s hard to watch two people who were once in love (or at least lust) fall apart. Just watch out if you get sad when you’re inebriated, because that characteristic combined with this movie would not make for a pleasant evening.
Use of Your Netflix Subscription: Break Glass in Case of Too Much Happiness
I went into The Last Five Years looking for a smile, and finished with an ache in my heart. The movie was well acted and well sung, and I think the odd chronological order of the scenes was interesting, but man—what a downer.
