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The Last Five Years requires a more visionary mind to make the central conceit work on film, and Richard LaGravenese is not that director. He’s a wonderful writer (The Fisher King, Behind the Candelabra), but he’s something of a point-and-shoot style director. Sometimes this works to the narrative’s strength, such as the opening salvo of Anna Kendrick performing “Still Hurting,” but it’s more often a detriment as the competing narratives eventually blur and things become vaguely incomprehensible.
It doesn’t help that the musical’s narrative is a twisted knot meant to symbolize the widening gulf between the couple. There’s the female perspective that starts at the ending of the relationship and runs backwards, and the male perspective that starts at the beginning and runs in chronological order. On stage this is accomplished by having the performer’s alternate monologues except for one moment in the middle where they’re together, but the film sticks them together to function as an audience for each other’s deepest thoughts and to provide commentary. This works at the beginning, but the timelines begin to blur and merge as it goes on.
The other major problem is that half of the equation isn’t pulling their weight. Anna Kendrick is a marvel throughout as she demonstrates a capacity for acting while singing that makes her perfect for a movie musical. Her character’s full trajectory of heartbreak to a bittersweet rush of blossoming love is dynamite. Kendrick hits all her notes, both emotive and vocal, and demonstrates a range as a performer that marks her as one of under cherished cinematic talents. When The Last Five Years narrows its focus to her perspective, everything works.
The other half, Jeremy Jordan, doesn’t manage the same trick. Jordan is incredibly attractive, so the camera loves him, but he can’t hit the emotional depths that Kendrick is capable of. He’s clearly talented, but the intimacy of the camera seems to elude his performing abilities. Jordan performs well in lighter numbers, but the ones that require us to feel for him or understand his selfish or destructive choices, there’s an imbalance. We find ourselves siding with Kendrick during his monologues as she’s managed to render a complete person through her a performance, but he’s striking poses and hitting notes like a robotic theater kid.
The Last Five Years is lacking in interpretive innovation, only half forms, and is strangely emotionally withholding, but there’s still some good work found here. Much of it rests in Anna Kendrick’s performance, a few moments of breeziness, and a finale that manages to convey some emotional texture that breaks your heart. It’s just frustrating to think about what might have been here.
