Taglines: There are two sides to every love story.
The Last 5 Years is a musical chronicling a love affair and marriage taking place over a five year period. Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan) is a young, talented up and coming novelist who falls in love with Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick), a struggling actress.
Their story is told almost entirely through song. All of Cathy’s songs begin at the end of their marriage and move backwards in time to the beginning of their love affair, while Jamie’s songs start at the beginning of their affair and move forward to the end of their marriage. They meet in the center when Jamie proposes.
The Last Five Years is an American musical comedy-drama film starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. Based on Jason Robert Brown’s musical of the same name, the film is written and directed by Richard Lagravenese. The film premiered on September 7, 2014 in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in select theaters and on video on demand on February 13, 2015
About the Story
Cathy Hiatt (Anna Kendrick) is sitting alone lamenting the end of her marriage (“Still Hurting”). Five years earlier. Jamie Wellerstein (Jeremy Jordan) is an up-and-coming Jewish writer who has just met Cathy. He is overjoyed to be dating outside his Jewish heritage (“Shiksa Goddess”).
Cathy and Jamie are in Ohio. It is her birthday and he has come to visit her as she works in community theater there. She is anxious to fix any problems in their marriage but she becomes angry when Jamie tells her he has to go back early to New York. She thinks that he is too fixated on his work and doesn’t care about spending time with her enough. (“See I’m Smiling”).
Jamie is moving in with Cathy. He comments on how lucky he is that everything is going right for him; his book is being published and his life with Cathy seems too good to be true (“Moving Too Fast”). Elsewhere, an older Cathy is making a call to her agent: it seems her career isn’t going the way she planned it.
Cathy is attending multiple social functions for Jamie’s success. She sings about how he ignores her for his writing but she will always be in love with him (“A Part of That”).
Jamie and Cathy celebrate their first Christmas. He tells her a new story he has written about an old tailor named Schmuel and he gives her a Christmas present: a watch, promising to support her as she follows her dreams of acting (“The Schmuel Song”).
Cathy is in Ohio and Skyping to Jamie. She describes to Jamie her disappointing life in Ohio among her eccentric colleagues (“A Summer in Ohio”).
Jamie is sitting with Cathy in Central Park underneath a gazebo. Jamie proposes to her and, for the first time in the film, they sing together (“The Next Ten Minutes”). They get married, exchanging vows to stay together forever.
Jamie is facing temptation from other women, especially now his career as a writer has escalated (“A Miracle Would Happen”). Cathy, meanwhile, is auditioning for the job in New York (“When You Come Home to Me”). She is getting down about the rejection she faces as an actress and complains to Jamie. She realizes she doesn’t want to be the girl left behind (“Climbing Uphill”).
Jamie is fighting with Cathy, trying to get her to listen to him. He wants to celebrate a book review but Cathy refuses to go out. He accuses her of being unsupportive of his career just because hers is failing. Though his words are harsh, he promises her that he believes in her (“If I Didn’t Believe in You”).
A younger Cathy is in the car with Jamie, who is going to meet her parents. She tells him about her past relationships and hopes not to end up in a small town life like her friend from high school (“I Can Do Better Than That”). She asks Jamie to move in with her.
Near the end of the relationship, Jamie wakes up beside multiple women, including the book editor, Alise (“Nobody Needs to Know”). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy for destroying his privacy and their relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to Alise and tells her, that “I could be in love with someone like you,” just as he did to Cathy.
The Last Five Years is an American musical comedy-drama film starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan. Based on Jason Robert Brown’s musical of same name, the film is written and directed by Richard Lagravenese.
The film is told using an intercutting time line device; all of Cathy’s songs begin at the end of their marriage and move backwards in time to the beginning of their love affair while Jamie’s songs start at the beginning of their affair and move forward to the end of their marriage. They cross paths in the center when Jamie proposes.
The film premiered on September 7, 2014 in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in select theaters and on video on demand on February 13, 2015.
The Last 5 Years
Directed by: Richard LaGravenese
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan, Meg Hudson, Natalie Knepp, Sherie Rene Scott, Cat Lynch, Laura Harrier, Gina Sarno
Screenplay by: Richard LaGravenese
Production Design by: Michael Fitzgerald
Cinematography by: Steven Meizler
Film Editing by: Sabine Hoffmann
Costume Design by: Ciera Wells
Art Direction by: Sorangel Fersobe
Music by: Jason Robert Brown
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual material, brief strong language and a drug image.
Studio: Radius / TWC
Release Date: February 13, 2015
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