Her voice is so nasal, her voice is so nasal...HELLO! His is, too, sometimes to a rather irritating degree.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/23/11
I can't believe that clip. What a grating voice she has.
It sounds and looks incredibly cheap, like a random porn movie.
The fact that he looks like mister march of the gay firemen calendar 2003 doesn't help either.
Updated On: 9/8/14 at 05:01 AM
Featured Actor Joined: 5/6/13
I love her, but that arrangement...oof. I miss the pared-down music.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/06
Of course the reviews by the two big guns (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER and VARIETY) pull no punches, and the blogs gush.
I too was there last night and while there are certainly flaws -- some of the jarring camera work chief among them -- I share in the sentiment that JRB himself expressed at the Q&A following the film: that it's something of a bizarre miracle that this film ever was made in the first place. And as a cinematic adaptation of what itself is in some ways flawed, but unfailingly (for me) deeply moving piece, the movie works.
I will say that what "Michael Kras" identified above as "...almost everything is a very smart choice that totally works. Most notably, the fact that Jamie and Cathy are truly in every scene together" is actually the very thing that contributed for me to "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." Especially approaching and working away from the "center" of the timeline ("The Next Ten Minutes") the emotions can get a little confusing as you try to keep track of who is on the road from anger to joy and vice-versa. It's a conceit of the stage play that is gimmicky, yes, but it also is potently effective and it's a little lost here.
Again though, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And the music, Lord that music, sounds absolutely motherfriggin' gorgeous. Is Anna Kendrick the equal of Lauren Kennedy (or insert your favorite Cathy here)? No. But the movie doesn't get made without her. And she's pretty damn good in her own right. So I, for one, am celebrating.
I don't understand why everyone is hating on Ms. Kendrick's voice. She is far better than recent casting (Hugh Jackman, Jonny Depp) and actually has a rather nice voice. However, she is an amazing performer (her performance of "Ladies Who Lunch" in Camp was so far beyond her years it was astounding, and by far the best thing in the film).
Besides, The Last 5 Years is really only a half-good musical. Cathy gets all of the good songs, and the sympathy because she begins at the end. Jamie is always seen as a asshole, and his songs are generally self-centered, narsasisitic, and just not very good (excepting "Ten Minutes" and "Rescue You"). I look forward to the film for a new portrayal of both characters, but particularly for Jordan, because I have never liked a portrayal of Jamie before. But I'n sure Anna will be phenomenal.
If ten film is terrible, I'm sure we'll still get an excellent recording out of it.
Apparently both Jackman & Depp got some Awards recognition for no reason...
"Besides, The Last 5 Years is really only a half-good musical. Cathy gets all of the good songs, and the sympathy because she begins at the end. Jamie is always seen as a asshole, and his songs are generally self-centered, narsasisitic, and just not very good "
I disagree completely. She has one good song, he has all the best songs, and I never saw Jamie as asshole. She clearly drives him away. Also, you don't need to understand why a lot of us hate her voice, it's just a different view than yours.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
I disagree completely. She has one good song, he has all the best songs, and I never saw Jamie as asshole. She clearly drives him away
I disagree with you. Even when Jamie is supposed to be acting nice and in love, he comes across as a self-absorbed, egotistical jerk to me. Yes, Cathy doesn't want to go to your parties not because you ignore her and flirt with other women, but because she's clearly resentful of your success! Of COURSE that's it!
The timeline of the stories never made much sense to me, to be honest. She's failing at the beginning of the relationship, she seems the most upset then, but he's the one who chose to marry her. At the end of the relationship, she's trying to work everything out and he's not trying at all. Actually, contrary to his opinion, I never really saw him try, other than guilt trip Cathy into attending one of his many parties.
Sorry, I have a lot of feelings about Jamie!
Featured Actor Joined: 11/13/07
I just got home from today's screening, and I agree with a lot of what was already said by the others who saw it last night. Overall, it's great, and I feel that they did the best that they could in converting this unique stage musical to the big screen. The beautiful music was well-preserved and often sounds richer than the stage version. The original story is untouched and comes across as intended. The use of real-world settings and the addition of other (voiceless) performers only adds to the entertainment value. But there are some definite flaws.
A lot of the scenes start with dialogue between Jamie and Cathy, so sometimes you had to pause and remind yourself which timeline you were watching. In the stage show, when you only see and hear one person, you know exactly where you are in the story. In the film, not so much. There were some scenes where dialogue made sense in the context of the song, but there were other moments of dialogue that I felt the film could have done without, and the film would probably have had better flow without that dialogue. Though the bits of dialogue did make up some of the funniest moments of the film, which LaGravenese explained were mostly ad-libbed.
In terms of cast, I felt that it was very obvious what experience each actor brought to the role. Jeremy Jordan's performance was so energetic, charismatic, and fun that it was obvious that this guy has a range of musical theatre experience. I found his Jamie extremely likable, even at the end. He just seemed like a fun, happy guy that you'd want to hang out with (well, maybe not at the end). His scene of giddyness/excitement before "Moving to Fast" is one of my favourite moments in the entire film, and it was explained during the Q&A that it was entirely improvised. The Schmuel Song, which I have always felt was a bit out of place in the show, was also a standout in terms of Jordan's comical performance. Vocally, he was wonderful. I remember during Smash, people were deliberating whether Jimmy was such an annoying character because of the horrible writing or because of Jordan's acting, and after seeing him play Jamie, I realize that given good material, he really is magnetic. He was also really fun during the Q&A afterwards.
In Anna Kendrick's performance, you saw the acting experience - her expressions of sadness, disappointment, pain, happiness, etc came through clearly throughout. Vocally, I'd say she was decent. Not quite as good as a lot of the stage actors that have done the role, but she came close enough. I didn't find her as nasal/grating/screechy, etc. as others here felt about the clip that was released. I'd say that her vocal skills are leagues above those of some other Hollywood actors that have been cast in musicals lately. But I did feel that Jordan's scenes held my attention and interest a lot more than hers. The two had great chemistry together.
Another thing that bugged me was that there was way too much singing while kissing/making out/embracing/undressing/having sex. I started to get the feeling that they thought that the more times Jordan took of his shirt, the more girls would see the film? As a result, there were some really cheesy scenes, including the clip that was released yesterday. There were many scenes that were of much better quality that should have been chosen as a "first look."
I only remember noticing the shaky camera once, otherwise it didn't seem low budget at all. LaGravenese mentioned that Jordan had brought the sound people over from Smash to do the sound.
I`m glad I saw it at one of the first screenings, because the theatre was filled with fans of the show and theatre fans in general. You heard chuckling and mumbles go through the crowd every time there was a cameo (and there are some great ones!) - this is something that is always missing in a wide release, where the fans of the original work make up only a small minority of the audience.
If anyone is wondering, the lyric changes that were made for the most recent revival were also in the film. Apparently any change was run by either JRB or his wife (cause JRB was busy working on Bridges at the time). There is less swearing because you are only allowed one f-bomb in a PG-13 film.
LaGravenese and Jordan did a Q&A afterwards. JRB was not there. Cake (Anna Kendrick`s other film at TIFF) had its premiere in the theatre below us at the same time, so I had assumed that she would make an appearance, but she did not. I guess timing did not work out. LaGravanese explained that he tried to preserve the original material as much as possible (with the exception of having both characters on screen together). He made a comment about how picky musical theatre fans are about making changes to their favourite shows, and the room erupted in applause. He also said he tried to keep it as far away from "Hollywood influence" as possible, and that is why it was completely independently funded - so that he could maintain control. It sounds like they had a lot of fun making it. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be one of the first to see it and I can't wait to see it again in February.
Updated On: 9/8/14 at 08:38 PM
About Anna Kendrick's voice... I had this palpable feeling of anticipation as the opening bars of Still Hurting played. Could Kendrick handle this extremely difficult score?
The second she opened her mouth, goosebumps all over my body. Her 'Still Hurting' might be my new favourite. I don't know what others are hearing, but I adore her voice.
Leading Actor Joined: 4/14/12
SporkGoddess, I couldn't agree more with you about Jamie. There's nothing about him that makes him even remotely sympathetic in my eyes. I think he's such an Asshole, so full of himself, so condescending and just ugh! I think one of the big issues I have with the show is how little he cares about Cathy throughout the entire show, and so when he sings "I Could Never Rescue You" (the one song that makes me feel for Jamie), the emotional payoff is not nearly as powerful as the song merits. How did Jamie ever try to rescue Cathy? She's wonderfully complicated and messy, and he's just such a typical male novelist character. I wish there were more moments where we saw him caring for Cathy in some way, rather than at the very end. Oh well, I guess I also have lots to say about Jamie.
Oh, and I get none of the criticisms against Anna Kendrick's singing. She has a unique voice, I'm so tired of generic voices. Can't wait to see her "A Summer in Ohio," my favorite song from the show and a highlight of the film
from what I understand.
I think Jamie is a jerk - and he is all about himself - but I don't usually get that until "Miracle Would Happen". When sung/stage/acted well, Jamie's caring for Cathy can come through in Shiksa Goddess - in how he sings "a woman who loves me" in Moving too Fast - and how he tells Schmuel. I just listened to Adam Kantor's version of Schmuel on the Off Broadway Cast recording and it does convey his feelings and concern for Cathy.
But, part of the problem with the show is that it starts with a devastated Cathy who introduces us to a self-centered lying Jamie who has no time for his wife and decides for himself the marriage is over. "Still Hurting" is a lot to overcome for the actor playing Jamie! Trying to reconcile the bouncy energetic overthetop Jamie with the one depicted in "Still Hurting" is difficult.
^^^^^^
Very interesting point about the automatic bias against Jamie created by opening with a devastated Cathy. I wonder if Jamie would still be such an unlikeable character if the stories were flipped?
Anna gave an enjoyable, 20 minute interview on CBC radio here in Canada today--mainly about LFF, but also musicals and her work in general. (I had no idea her fave musical ever was Parade...)
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2014/09/12/anna-kendrick-the-last-5-years/
I've never disliked Jamie, and don't think he is automatically hated due to Kathy singing that song. They were both to blame for the break down of the relationship, and I think that's the whole point of the show.
Stand-by Joined: 10/18/12
Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever seen a Jamie that they have found particularly sympathetic? Maybe as much as, or even more, than the Cathy?
I totally understand the contempt for Jamie. I "sided" with Cathy for a long time, until multiple listens and seeing videos of Butz's performance kind of evened them out in my mind.
Adam Kantor. He was incredible as Jamie, and Betsy Wolfe's Cathy was more of a nag.
The trailer looks better than I thought it would. But this is the UK trailer, I think. Since it is from ICON.
The Official ICON trailer
I always felt for Cathy until I saw it with Betsy and Adam. Then I felt NO WONDER he cheated, she was so needy and whiny and drove him away.
Wow! It looks great IMO! I can't wait to see it!
Swing Joined: 12/7/14
It said "Anna Kendrick blows Jeremy Jordan out of the water"..... Um, FALSE!
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