Over 10 years later and I still think this is incredibly watchable, Inventive and wonderfully acted.

Anna Kendrick ruins this for me.

Based on the hit musical of the same name by Richard LaGravenese starring Anna Kendrick and Supergirl tv star Jeremy Jordan Jamie and Cathy were once a happy couple but as the film starts the relationship is over The story recounts what happened in the last 5 years what exactly led them to break up Did they want different things? Were they polar opposites? Were they not good enough for each other? Any couple would face challenges during their happiness finding something better, something different, choosing for ourselves to know what exactly we want Kendrick is sensational and it helps she has terrific vocals given her success from Pitch Perfect There’s even a funny visual gag referencing Sound of Music There’s a lot of singing in this mind you every 5 minutes so it’s impossible to take a breather The players are good it’s just that it’s hard to feel any emotion from either of them This musical maybe has its share of fans but it needed to stand out more

This film is a very intimate story of a relationship falling apart told from two perspectives: Kathy and Jamie. It's told in a kind of reverse order: one starts at the end and the other at the beginning they meet at the middle. So the narrative structure is inherently interesting. I wouldn't say in this film that it's too jarring when it jumps back-and-forth. The structure also highlights that even after it's all happened they are in completely different spaces; she seems to reflect on why things fell apart and he seems to be mourning what once was. The dynamics and the perspectives of the two people really shine through and are the core of everything that happens in the story so you really get a good feel of both perspectives.The viewer is able to see exactly how the relationship falls apart and can kind of form their own opinions on the characters. I will say the character relationship feels very realistic, and is compelling to watch the actors carry the story and do a good job. Songs are very good and fit the story very well since they allow you to inside the brains of the characters. Which is really essential to seeing how they think how they operate and really getting to know them so the songs are very important to the story.I would say this is kind of one of those films you have to watch a number of times on the first watch what's going on may not be exactly clear. One of the best things about this film is the attention to detail and the use of repeated words,phrases, and symbols sometimes to mark time. One particularly interesting detail was the bracelets and rings Kathy takes off at the beginning of the film; you see her get them from Jamie throughout the course of the film as it's told in reverse order. The phrase miles and piles is also used in multiple songs additionally the melody in still hurting sounds similar to the melody in see I’m smiling; the repetition helps to tie the story together. I like the dim lighting in the song still hurting and if I didn’t believe in you, which is directly contrasted by the lighting used in songs like better than that, Shiksa goddess, and the Schmuel song. I find Kathy's characterization particularly compelling and realistic because she is trying to save the relationship by accepting the bare minimum she isn’t getting what she needs but just accepts in denial thinking she's getting enough it til she snaps. The parallels between the careers also help to further the characters divide. He has everything he wants and she tries to tell herself being a part of his dream is enough for her while she is struggling. I appreciate that both the characters are kind of put on an even playing field for the audience to decide what they think of the characters versus the film telling who is right and who is the villain. This allows you to see they are both responsible for what happened while on paper Jamie was the one who cheated, was relatively inconsiderate, and skirted around issues. At the same time Kathy was willing to accept all of them and didn’t convey her needs til the end when things really fell apart. While I would argue he is a bit more to blame I appreciate that there’s an argument for both. But to generally wrap it up it's a good film worth a watch and was pretty easy to get emotionally invested in.

Huge fan of this film

The odds were stacked heavily against everyone involved making this film adaptation work, so the fact that it's not a complete disaster (and actually enjoyable) is impressive. Not everything works in translation but Jordan and especially Kendrick knock it out of the park.

Such beautiful music and an even more beautiful story. I love The Last Five Years so much. Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan show just how talented they are acting wise and singing wise. I can never watch this film too many times, and the music will live in my head for the rest of my life.

This movie is amazing and emotional about a couple falling in and out of love with each other over the span of five years, the movie jumps in throughout the story of their relationship through the good, the bad and the ugly of their relationship ending at their breakup. This can be confusing and hard to follow at times but is overall a great movie.

"And I'm still hurting". Seriously this movie shattered my souls. But it's incredibly well told, acted, and sang. Worth a watch. Just bring every tissue box in your home and all of your trust issues.

The songs are decent and the Kendrick/Jordan pairing is good - but the storytelling is awkward at best. He's a talented writer and she's trying to get a break on broadway.

The film exceed all expectations, what I expected to be your cheesy run of the mill romantic musical turned out to be a beautifully crafted story about how love doesn't always have a happy ending. The storyline is simple yet engrossing however can be a little hard to follow due to the changing of perspectives. The songs are good and the majority of them are not cringy or badly written. What really makes this film something special is the performances of Jordan and Kendrick. Kendrick's performance particularly makes takes this film to another level, the emotion she portrays and the change from innocent to cynical over the course of the story sets it apart from others. Cathy is in danger of coming across as jealous, bitter wife but Kendrick performance makes sure this doesn't happen. Overall I find this to be an incredibly underrated film that does not get the credit it deserves.

It's in the genre but it doesn't feel like it this musical romance is a movie that is disappointing to some but it's still a enjoyable time.

Kendrick is great and the film has a few powerful songs. However the entire thing feels like revenge porn from the author who wants to punish his ex wife.

This was excruciating. Hubby: 2.2/Wife: 4.0 Final Score: 3.1/10

The composer is the closest thing I've heard to a heterosexual Sondheim.

It is good, especially because of the leads Jeremy Jordan (sings well and shows emotion) and Anna Kendrick (with an incredible performance and singing), but the non-linear narrative doesn't bode well, it turns out to be confusing sometimes, although the sincerity of the story also makes this movie watchable.

I absolutely love the stage show, so I was excited to see this movie adaptation, however it was always going to be highly ambitious to adapt this fringe show to the screen, and whilst the orchestration is beefed out a fair bit due to the far bigger budget, as well as certain scenes having dialogue added to aid with comprehension of the story, I really don't think either were entirely necessary, and the added dialogue in particular felt like it had been shoehorned in. Kendrick and Jordan both excel in their vocal performances, and the acting is pretty good, however the overall pacing of the film felt a bit uneven, and their on screen chemistry wasn't especially believable. The big selling point of this musical is the soundtrack, Jason Robert Brown is one hell of a composer, and not only is it well orchestrated, but his use of each instrument, as well as his harmonies used, to create various emotional soundscapes, is absolutely second to none. If you're a fan of musical theatre you'll likely enjoy this, but to the casual observer the premise of having both primary characters starting the relationship at opposite ends of the timescale, meeting in the middle, can be a little confusing and difficult to follow.

The Last Five Years proves that stage musicals can be perfectly translated into films if given attention and care. Jeremy Jordan provides us our goofy and dashing writer Jamie, here he excels both vocally and acting wise. Jeremy draws out Jamie into a fully realized fleshed out character, presenting a new side to him every scene. Anna Kendrick gives Cathy, our stories sweet and driven actress so much personality, she makes the audience always want to root for her. She belts out each song with such power, which is made more impressive with several songs being recorded live with little to no vocal editing. The story structure is intriguing and handled well, along with the incorporation of background characters was a good choice. Allowing Jamie and Cathy to interact within each other during their respective solo songs compared to them being alone on stage like in the stage version, was a great choice that really brought out the true weight and emotions of certain scenes. The cinematography is nice and really helped to set the tone of the presented scene. Overall this film is incredible and stays true to the original stage version while adding its own elements to improve the material.

Great music, interesting story building, fantastic actors!

This movie was breathtaking from both a technical and plot perspective. The cinematography is very elegant and engaging, both leads portrayed their characters extremely well, and the narrative is so unique in the fact that both of the characters view points begin in different points and directions. The direction was sophisticated and yet, had a very playful tone throughout, surmounting the devistating beginning as well as end. This movie is a marvel and should be marked as a true piece of musical art.