LAST FIVE YEARS Film -- First Reviews from TIFF- Page 2

[matttaylorr021]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 5:45pm

Oh my god. Yes!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 5:47pm

The nasal in her voice is awful. But, I've never liked her in anything, so no big surprise. Jeremy isn't getting much love from the critics, but he is the stronger actor in my opinion.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 6:24pm

You have to remember the movie going public aren't theatre nerds that know these songs. This isn't a show you walk away humming and there isn't a "hit" song for the radio. This film would tank hard at the box office in a wide release.

Jordan is turning into that fellow that always just misses the mark. I find his singing great, but his charisma and acting subpar. Kendrick is a passable vocalist, but nothing to write home about.

These songs wont set an audience on fire. It will do best on VOD and in a limited release.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 6:28pm

LOOOOVE that clip!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 7:02pm

"These songs wont set an audience on fire. It will do best on VOD and in a limited release."

Couldn't agree more.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 7:50pm

It's so strange to see the songs with something actually happening. This show is so stagnant on stage (one of its main flaws I think), so it'll be interesting to see if every number has a lot going on and if they try (like in this clip) to add a little action to liven them up.

Updated On: 9/7/14 at 07:50 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:07pm

The clip makes me nervous to watch--I keep thinking their car will crash.

[E.Davis]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:15pm

^^^^^^
Glad I am not the only one who thought that. This is why mothers warn their nice jewish sons about the dangers of the Shiksa.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:29pm

I found it jarring how locked in Kendrick seemed to be in that clip to playing straight on toward the camera. It didn't feel natural or alive at all. Instead, it felt very stagnant and stiff.

[justincharacter]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:31pm

Her voice during this song slightly reminded me of Kristin Chenoweth.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:39pm

It's weird seeing Jamie interacting with her in the scene, but I love it. They had great chemistry, too. Granted, Jeremy Jordan can have amazing chemistry with pretty much anyone, except for Kat McPhee.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 8:48pm

^^^^^^

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 9:03pm

Anna Kendrick seems very humorous and lovely on talk shows but on film she just strikes me as totally officious. The nasally singing voice ain't helpin'. And that overbite! She'd kill in a one-woman WATERSHIP DOWN.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 9:07pm

I think me she sounds just as good, if not better, then Sheri Rene Scott. I'm more interested in Jordan, because I've never heard a Jamie I find great in the part.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 9:08pm

^Maybe she'll do better as Cinderella in INTO THE WOODS this coming December.

[sbflyfan]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 9:12pm

That girl is more distracting than a cell phone when poor Jeremy Jordan is just trying to drive. And did they randomly pull off into someone's driveway to get it on? This is amazing.

[rjm516]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 9:14pm

Oh my gosh...that clip of "I can do better"... I thought it was awful! I love that song so so much and with the driving and the super strange background? It kind of looked like how those new tvs make everything look like the news? Do not like!

[HBP]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 10:26pm

I love me some Anna Kendrick, and she sounded pretty good, but the movie looks pretty bad. /:

[robbie_731]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 11:14pm

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/last-5-years-toronto-review-730829

http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-the-last-5-years-1201300169/

[pmensky]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 11:18pm

Yeah, she sounded great in the clip, but yeesh, that was really badly directed.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 9/7/14 at 11:26pm

That clip is really bad IMHO. Theres nothing even remotely natural about it. It looks like an SNL parody commercial or a Cialis ad. Anna looks old in that gypsy hippie get-up. Not good.

Posted: 9/8/14 at 12:26am

I think Anna sounds awesome, although the clip itself is really strange and awkwardly staged. A lot of praise for Anna on Twitter from film critics/writers (not just theater fans), but hardly a thing on Jeremy. Many amusing tweets about the poor direction/cinematography, too (such as the "that cameraman was f***ing DRUNK" and "looks shot on an iPhone"). I'm betting it'll get mediocre-to-lousy reviews (save for Anna), do OK in theaters and well on VOD. I never took it for an awards contender, so I'm just excited to get a few cocktails in me and see how it turns out!

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 9/8/14 at 12:44am

Oh yeah, I feel pretty bad for Anna Kendrick from what I've seen of Cathy's wardrobe in this film.

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 9/8/14 at 12:49am

So, I was at the TIFF world premiere tonight.

I had no idea how this thing would be made into a movie, and what approach would be taken. Turns out, almost everything is a very smart choice that totally works. Most notably, the fact that Jamie and Cathy are truly in every scene together... nothing like the stage musical where each song featured Jamie/Cathy singing and the other of them gone or sitting there like a mannequin, which created a sense of detachment. Here, there's ample room for development, play, and chemistry... which Anna and Jeremy achieve in spades.

The whole movie is very bare-bones, with most shots done with a handheld camera. But it adds a rawness that perfectly compliments this small musical... the movie never tries to be too big.

Here's the low-down on each song:

- Still Hurting - Anna Kendrick is effing amazing. I've never cried during Still Hurting before, but Anna brought it from the get-go. Her voice gave me insane chills.

- Shiksa Goddess is jarringly staged as a sex scene, but it totally works. Such a playful scene. Jeremy Jordan perfectly captures that exuberance.

- See, I'm Smiling - Again, Anna Kendrick nails it. There's some dialogue for Jamie thrown in, in order to make parts of the song make sense... but the dialogue did feel a bit forced. Still, so worth it to have Anna make me freaking cry again (I was stupid, and thought I wouldn't need tissues.)

- Moving Too Fast - It opens with a scene of Jamie on the phone with Random House, which is super funny. Then Jeremy knocks Moving Too Fast out of the park. Some fun choreography on the streets too.

- A Part of That - Staged in such a heartbreaking way, we see Cathy following Jamie around to book release parties and such, and ending up being almost completely ignored.

- The Schmuel Song - This got mid-film applause at the screening, not only because of Jeremy's endearing rendition of the song, but also Anna Kendrick's hilarious ad-libs during it. The ending of the song (Take... your... time etc) has never been more touching.

- Summer in Ohio - Another knockout that's hysterically funny as we see Cathy rehearsing her god-awful summer-stock shows. There are some perfect and funny inside musical theatre references. And actually getting to see the gay midget named Carl play Tevye and Porgy? Priceless.

- The Next Ten Minutes - Simple, powerful, chill inducing. The camera just follows Jeremy and Anna around a gazebo and we watch them sore.

- A Miracle Would Happen - Again, wonderful to see the lyrics of one of these songs come to actual, tangible life.

- Climbing Uphill - There are some KILLER cameos in this one, so watch out for that. Kednrick finds the funny, including an improvised reference to Les Miserables that sent the theatre into raucous cheers and laughter.

- If I Didn't Believe In You - The song is preceded by some intense improvised dialogue as Jamie and Cathy fight rather viciously. The entire scene was shot in a single take, which was intensely effective. Jeremy's performance is terrific, though he veers uncomfortably close to violent in moments.

- I Can Do Better Than That - My least favourite staging of one of the songs, set weirdly in the car mostly (You've all seen the clip by now I'm sure)... but it's saved because Anna's performance is spot on.

- Nobody Needs To Know - Whoa. Goosebumps and tingles everywhere. Jeremy is wonderful at navigating this incredibly complex song. The film does a great job of leaving its view of Jamie neutral... we are neither asked to despise him nor sympathize with him. It just is what it is, and that's a very smart choice. The song also shows us multiple lovers for Jamie, not just one as in the stage musical.

- Goodbye Until Tomorrow/I Could Never Rescue You - Genius. I'm not going to spoil how this song has been filmed, but it's total genius. My hairs stand on end just thinking about it. The climax has been perfectly handled.


The Last Five Years is not a perfect movie... some of the musical has proved impossible to gracefully transfer to film without sacrificing the writing itself. The way problems are solved can at times seem forced, but other times, they work so beautifully and you have to admire how cleverly they were handled. Also, the chronologies of the stories are surprisingly muddled in this movie... As a fan of the show, even I was having trouble keeping track at times.

In any case, this is a stunning adaptation of the musical that is totally faithful and also totally its own thing. Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick are beyond words, and the film is gorgeously shot and edited. I have a strong feeling this movie is going to have as big of a cult following as the musical does.



Updated On: 9/8/14 at 12:49 AM

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 9/8/14 at 1:05am

I actually recently saw a production stage at Portland Center stage that used Cathy and Jamie on stage together as much as possible. It was a fresh approach. The two are actually in the room together, but their minds are 5 years a part.