The Last 5 Years

Based on an off-Broadway show, this three-tissue tear-jerker traces the ups and downs of the relationship between a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) and her novelist lover (Jeremy Jordan). What distinguishes the film, apart from the perky performances of the two leads, is that it's almost entirely dialogue-free. Almost everything is sung, with Jordan's songs looking ahead in the relationship, and Kendrick's songs looking back on it. The film cuts back and forth between the two perspectives, which eventually meet in the middle with a marriage proposal. We know Kendrick can sing from her work in Pitch Perfect and Into the Woods, and she confirms it here. Jordan's musical skills are equally evident, having made a name for himself in musical theatre. The tangled timeframes cause some confusion as to who's doing what, and when, but even if this doesn't go down as one of the great movie musicals, it's still worth a watch and a listen.