advertisement

Skokie show makes for an inert movie musical

The defining moment in Richard LaGravenese's movie adaptation of the off-Broadway musical "The Last Five Years" occurs when successful young author Jamie (Jeremy Jordan) says to his unsuccessful actress wife Cathy (Anna Kendrick), "I will not lose because you can't win!"

The sentence cuts like a switchblade not just because of its truth, but because we see Kendrick's face react with such hurt and pain, we want to collectively jump up and punch Jamie in the jaw.

No other moments in "The Last Five Years" match this.

Despite the considerable chemistry and energy Kendrick and Jordan bring to their starring-crossed lovers, "The Last Five Years" (registered as a 2013 production) emerges as a surprisingly inert musical experience chronicling one of the most passive romantic breakups committed to film.

The musical, originally performed by the Northlight Theatre in Skokie before it moved off-Broadway, opens with Cathy, in an upscale Brooklyn brownstone, lamenting in song Jamie's departure from their once-happy marriage.

LaGravenese begins skipping back in time over the past five years, showing how Jamie, a smart Jewish student with novel dreams, initially falls for Cathy's shiksa goddess, a struggling actress.

Their unorthodox relationship adds a tinge of illicitness to their love affair, with composer Jason Robert Brown's lyrics testifying to their giddy, passionate feelings.

When Random House publishes Jamie's first novel, he drops out of school and takes the A-train to social and financial success. Meanwhile, poor Cathy gets treated like Dustin Hoffman at the beginning of "Tootsie" by suffering an endless barrage of audition rejections.

Gradually, Cathy tires of bathing in the shadow of her now-husband's success, and the widening chasm between them gets recounted in Brown's straightforward, unenhanced lyrics.

The stage version of "Last Five Years," which I have not seen, worked theatrically by Cathy and Jamie singing separately on stage, meeting only during their wedding scene. They remain a self-interested couple who believes in "I" before "we."

In film's more literal medium, the musical struggles to "open up" with outdoor scenes plus a "singing-in-a-moving car" sequence that feels as forced as Beverly D'Angelo and cast belting out "Good Morning Sunshine" while tooling down the freeway in Milos Forman's "Hair."

I thought for sure that Jamie's silly ditty about a Jewish tailor had been added to the movie for a cheap laugh, as it seemed so out of sync with the other songs.

Nope, "The Schmuel Song" comes off as a condescending concert to Cathy. Jamie mugs through the song supposedly to cheer up his despondent wife, but does it by being cute, clever and a better performer than she will ever be.

Then we really want to punch him in the face.

“The Last Five Years”

★ ★

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan

Directed by: Richard LaGravenese

Other: A Weinstein Company release. Opens exclusively at the Logan Square Theater in Chicago. Rated PG-13 for drug images, language, sexual situations. 94 minutes

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.