The Last Five Years (The Movie, The Thread)- Page 4

[SayitSomehow]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 4:19pm

Ahh good to know - thanks for the intel!

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 5:49pm

I enjoyed it. Though found it depressing.

Jordan and Kendrick were perfectly cast. And I've seen this story play out in real life over and over. The guy bites off more than he can chew, commitment-wise. Also, he marries someone on the plain side, and suddenly finds himself tempted. She starts to sense it and becomes irrational and unfun to be around. He leaves, feeling very guilty over how much he's hurting her, but that doesn't stop him. And she is just a wreck for months on end.

It was almost too real to watch comfortably, which is part of why I liked it. It is devastating when she is doing the "John Lennon, Seinfeld, Museum" thing back to him, and you can tell he's no longer invested in her.

[LYLS3637]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 6:02pm

lovebwy-- that's not what the end of "The Next Ten Minutes" signifies. It's just Cathy's half of the conversation that started the song-- indicating the criss-cross of their timelines.

Updated On: 2/17/15 at 06:02 PM

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 6:29pm

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I looked at the lyrics and you're exactly right and my interpretation was way off.

I still find it movie very depressing. haha.
Updated On: 2/17/15 at 06:29 PM

[buddy5]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 8:49pm

What is with all this anti Jordan business...In two successive days I saw him in two diametrically opposing parts: Parade and Last Five Days...Great range, great looks...great talent...Biily Bigelow soon?

[buddy5]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 8:49pm

What is with all this anti Jordan business...In two successive days I saw him in two diametrically opposing parts: Parade and Last Five Days...Great range, great looks...great talent...Biily Bigelow soon?

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 11:06pm

Jordan is HOT and was perfectly cast in this movie.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/17/15 at 11:06pm

Jordan is HOT and was perfectly cast in this movie.

[tazber]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 8:51am

Great interview with Lagrevenese from AICN
Link

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 11:05am

That hottie Jeremy Jordan was on GMA this morning and he was excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3KAUXVccOw

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 11:19am

Singing "Moving Too Fast" at 8:45 in the morning takes cords of steel and that's what Jordan has. He was terrific in the PARADE concert and his work in the L5Y film was just as good.

I've never warmed to this piece on stage because of the lack of interaction between the characters. The film fixed this...and I couldn't quite believe how well it worked in that medium. It was a persuasive little art film and I'm very glad it was made. I was moved quite a bit (something the stage show has never done for me), and, some questionable camera work aside, I thought it was shot well and was a love letter to NYC. Kendrick was wonderful, though I do agree with Spork's assessment that she straight-toned too much for my taste. This was an utter delight of a surprise.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 12:46pm

I liked the movie too. I wouldn't call it a delight though. I found it very sad and borderline depressing. I greatly admire it's willingness to be that.

Honestly, that story is SO familiar and I don't think I've ever seen it as starkly portrayed as in Last Five Years, which you would never believe about a musical.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 12:52pm

The 'delight' was the fact that I liked it, not a comment on the story.

I also really loved the last shot of the film as it time-lapsed to Cathy coming home to the start of the film.

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 1:46pm

The best I can say is that it is no more tedious on the screen than on the stage. I'm just not a big fan of this material and don't think it gained anything in its transition to film.

[lovebwy]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 1:53pm

The songs are kinda generic sounding. But Jeremy Jordan sells it.

God, he's hot.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 1:57pm

some questionable camera work aside

When she was singing on the dock I thought the camera was going to go into the water, it was so shaky!

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/18/15 at 2:03pm

It was in the gazebo that I was like, "No...I don't need to see every pore. Thank you."

I think if I saw it in a theater, those moments would have sent me over the edge. But on my teevee, they didn't bother me all that much.

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 2/22/15 at 1:27pm

Just watched the movie again on Time Warner (You're welcome, Sh-k-boom!), which still has the aspect ratio wrong and have a few nit picky comments.

"I'm Still Hurting" is filmed in bleach bypass stock, to comment on the fact that its the end of the relationship. The next number, "Shiksa Goddess" is in vivid color. But the NEXT number, "See I'm Smiling," is a gorgeous verdant lake on Staten Island (filling in for Ohio), so the whole dark/light thing is rendered moot.

And the lyric "I stole this sweater from the costume shop. It makes me look like Daisy May" makes no sense. We know that the theatre in Ohio is doing "'Lil Abner," but when does Daisy May wear an ugly Christmas sweater? Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can recall, Daisy May wears a crop top and tattered short denim jeans for the entire show.

A New York thing: during "Moving too Fast" Jeremy Jordan is riding a bicycle on the High Line, which is strictly prohibited. Also, he's in front of the Flat Iron building, and LaGravenese couldn't get a good shot of it? It's iconic, and they were there, and they shot it from the wrong angle.

I saw both the original OBC production and the horrible revival at Second Stage, and I don't remember Cathy being such a dilatant. She's an actress, a dress designer, and a photographer in the film, and she sucks at all of them (except perhaps the photography, that pic of Jordan is gorgeous). Was that in the stage show?

To the poster who was questioning Jamie's book success, I think he's supposed to be like a Jay McInerney or Bret Easton Ellis, two NYC author phenoms from the early 80's who clubbed it up. That kind of thing doesn't exist anymore.

The Central Park scene bugs me to no end. Why aren't they in a rowboat on the lake? Why did the director choose to film the whole song in extreme close ups? They were at the location, it's supposed to be the moment in the show where they are happiest together, why not open it up and make it magical? We already know the relationship doesn't work out, why not have one moment where it MIGHT have worked out? I think it's a specific choice, but the wrong one. Let the audience have that moment where it might work out. Kendrick is playing coy and non-committal, and Jordan is, well, Jamie.

The beginning lyric of that song bugs me too. He's answering her questions. He says: "That one's John Lennon. No, the Dakota. The San Remo is up a few blocks."

If she's so stupid she doesn't know what the Dakota looks like, she sure as hell has never heard of the San Remo. And again, filmed with a hand hold not showing anything of Central Park. Strange choice.

I still adore this film, and think it's a great adaptation. Except.

My biggest question: What does the ex-Mrs. Jason Robert Brown think?

Updated On: 2/22/15 at 01:27 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 2/22/15 at 3:49pm

I loved this movie. One of the best adaptations we've seen in a long while.

I absolutely loved the little quips added in during the songs for the person not singing, and the other dialogue. This story usually comes off as a vaguely plotted song cycle on stage, but the added interaction worked amazingly int terms of tying it all together.

I still can't imagine anyone without the prior knowledge of the opposite timelines being able to catch on or have any solid idea what's happening, but I assume they would just regard it as a non-linear deal like 500 Days Of Summer.

That being said I thought it was brilliant the way sections of "A Part Of That" were staged as the same party scene from "Moving Too Fast." There were a number of other little visual callbacks to various settings and scenes that were lovely touches as well. I still could't get into the frenetic filming of "I Can Do Better Than That." I actually thought "Nobody Needs To Know" and "Schmuel Song" moved at pretty fast paces, as I've seen them drag into eternity in the past. I thought the opening and closing were both amazing, especially that ending! I was overcome by the full-circleness of it all. "A Summer In Ohio" was again my favorite part.

Some of Cathy's costumes were mind boggling. Also Kendrick's lightened hair was a grab bag for me, sometimes it looked fine but other times it looked so wacky.

The soundtrack will never replace the OCR but watching the movie I thought they did great on all their songs, and their acting choices were great.

Both characters for me are still pretty unlikeable, but I was still rooting for Cathy (as I usually am). Sure she's whiny and unfairly resents Jamie's success, but Jamie is just such a sleaze ball. Despite the fact that he's partially based on the author I've always felt that the way it opens with Cathy devastated and ends with Cathy happy it's designed with sympathy towards her in mind.

[ZiggyCringe]

Posted: 2/22/15 at 7:00pm

So, color me bad. His wife is neither a wrestler, a poetess, or a stringer. "Cathy" is a musical theatre writer.

"Cathy" in the musical is JRB's first wife, "Georgia Stitt," who has written a new musical starring Kate Baldwin and Rebecca Luker.

Can't wait to hear it, I bet it throws "Honeymoon in Vegas" out the window.

Its called "Alphabet City Cycle."



Updated On: 2/22/15 at 07:00 PM

[thebeautyis3]

Posted: 2/22/15 at 7:23pm

Isn't Georgia Stitt his current wife? That means she can't be "Cathy," right? Or am I mistaken?

Updated On: 2/22/15 at 07:23 PM

[nicnyc]

Posted: 2/23/15 at 5:04am

Georgia Stitt is Jason Robert Brown's current wife. The Last 5 Years in based on his marriage to his ex wife Theresa O"Neill. It is my understanding that, during the time they were married, she was a struggling actress.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 3/11/15 at 5:51pm

ZiggyCringe, re: Cathy's hobbies, she does mention in I Can Do Better Than That that she made her best friend from high school a cute baby sweater, so maybe they took that and ran with it. A struggling actress should have hobbies, to help from going crazy and distract herself from working at that scummy bar.

[ggersten]

Posted: 3/13/15 at 11:49pm

Well, the limited roll out didn't really produce any box office. Good per screen the first four days and then....
But, we watched it on demand and I assume many on here did so as well - or bought it on itunes. So, only the producers know the true financial picture.


Not counting "on demand" or itunes Updated On: 3/13/15 at 11:49 PM

[jpbran]

Posted: 4/23/15 at 5:16pm

Coming out on disc May 5... Amazon has the Bluray for $12.99 currently, and the DVD for $9.99. Just an FYI.