Mind you I have never seen this on stage which from what I understand is the best way to experience this story. Fans of the stage production, were not fans of the film due to the interpretation. I thought it was lovely, but who knows? Maybe if I see this on stage one day, I'll hate the movie adaptation as well, but until then let's dive into the story. The film opens up on Cathy (Anna Kendrick) singing "Still Hurting" on the floor of her empty apartment. It is gray and dreary and watching it gave me chills. Already you feel the pain of a relationship ending.
The story works like this, Cathy sings about the ending of the relationship to the beginning while Jamie sings about the beginning of the relationship to the end. It is interesting to see the relationship being sung from two different points of view and from two different points in time. One major flaw in the film is Jamie (Jeremy Jordan). Jamie is likable enough, but only at the beginning of the relationship. Once the relationship starts to fail, he becomes an insufferable jerk and you side with Cathy. You never get the sense that Jamie is sad to see the relationship end, and something tells me that that isn't supposed to be the case.
The biggest strain on the relationship is the different success levels of the characters. Cathy is a struggling actress. She goes from audition to audition without anything coming her way. She spends her summers at a summer stock theatre in Ohio. Jamie is a writer. He becomes published and is soon a best-selling author. With his success comes an endless slew of parties. Pretty soon both their lives revolve around Jamie's success and everything that comes with it. It takes a toll on Cathy.
As I mentioned, it's a problem that Jamie is not a likable character. He ends the film losing only his marriage, but keeping everything else while Cathy loses everything. There are wonderful moments in the film, though. Anna Kendrick is fantastic. Anytime she is on screen you are invested in everything she is going through. Jeremy Jordan does a good job as well, but not sympathizing with him is a major problem. When it is revealed that he has a number of women to keep him company while Cathy is away, you want nothing more than to see him fail.
The movie ends where it begins. In a dreary apartment while Jamie sings about the end of his relationship and Cathy sings about the hopefulness of her new relationship. It's a juxtaposition that brings more truth to the relationship. Love does not always have a happy ending. It throws us through loops and it's crushing in many ways, but in most relationships there are always the good times and memories. Life sucks. So does love, but at the end of it you grow as a person, and that's not a bad thing.
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