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The Last Five Years
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Anchor Bay Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Abraham Phillips (18th May 2015). |
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The Film
 I am a sucker for musicals. The Last Five Years is one of those musicals that you find yourself singing along to. There are many modern musicals that are worthy enough to call classics such as "Rent" (which was adapted to film in 2005), "Chicago" (adapted in 2002 and subsequently won the "Best Picture" Oscar) and "Once" (2006), and I feel that "The Last Five Years" could also be among those priceless examples of how to create a modern musical and make it work. The cast of characters - Cathy (Anna Kendrick) and Jamie (Jeremy Jordan) - are magical together. The chemistry on screen is absolutely beautiful and they come off as loveable, passionate, and most of all, believable. You instantly fall in love with both of them, as both are sweet and easy on the eyes. Both sound wonderful and are able to hold your interest in the music and lyrics. Now the three original performers from the stage musicals also appear in the film. Betsy Wolfe who played the original character of Cathy is Cathy’s stripper roommate in this film adaption. The original character of Jamie, who was played by Jason Robert Brown has a small part as a pianist during the audition scene. Sherie Rene Scott who also played Cathy during the 2013 revival of the play appears in this film as a director. It’s a nice touch that they honored the original cast and placed them in the film. This is based on the stage musical by the same name that came out in 2001, written and created by playwright Jason Robert Brown. The story is very simple about a love five year love affair. It’s a musical deconstruction of a marriage and two individuals. Jamie is an up and coming writer who meets and falls in love with Cathy who is a struggling actress. So begins the five years displayed through song. The interesting thing is that all the songs sung by Cathy start at the end of their marriage and work back to the beginning. Jamie’s songs are sung from the beginning of their marriage to the end of their marriage. That's a really unique approach that adds an element of originality. Directed by Richard LaGravenese. LaGravenese is probably best known for writing "The Fisher King" (1991) for which he was nominated for a "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar. He has scripted many other films since such as "The Bridges of Madison County" (1995), "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), "Water for Elephants" (2011) among others. He has also directed such films as "Freedom Writers" (2007), "P.S. I Love You" (2007), and probably better known for his adaption of the popular young adult book series "Beautiful Creatures" (2013). His body of work indicates that he's a more than competent filmmaker and does a fine job in crafting an entertaining film. This is a film that works, it’s a great love affair and the performances are in my viewpoint, perfect. I think this is a film that remains with you after it’s over. It’s one of those films that you find yourself laughing at, singing along with, and thoroughly being entertained by. I think it’s a film that is worthy to call a modern musical classic that will last the test of time. I especially liked the perfect mix of comedy with equal parts drama, weaved around the music.
Video
Presented in a widescreen presentation of 2.40:1 mastered in high definition 1080p 24/fps using AVC MPEG-4 compression. The video is vibrant in color and has no flaws. The video quality of the Blu-ray looks perfect.
Audio
Presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround (48kHz/24-bit). The audio is breathless and the music is nicely rendered. I loved the quality of the audio. You can hear dialogue just fine, and there are no audible mistakes, at least from what I've heard. The audio has no flaws. Optional subtitles are included in English and Spanish.
Extras
Anchor Bay has included only a few extras, a single featurette, a sing-a-long option and a bonus trailer. Below is a closer look at these supplements. "A conversation with Composer and Lyricist Jason Robert Brown" featurette runs for 3 minutes 57 seconds. This is an interview with the original playwrite/composer. Next up is a sing-a-long subtitle option that provides a karaoke style subtitles to the songs while the movie plays. A single bonus trailer is included for the film "The One I Love" which runs for 1 minute 58 seconds.
Packaging
Packaged in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
Overall
This is a must see film for fans of musicals and a perfect Blu-ray to experience it. You become a part of it through its unique twist on the musical genre, one character singing back in time, the other singing from the past to the present. I highly recommend it.
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