We can all agree that to some degree, “opposites attract,” but what happens afterward? Is such a case destined for a fleeting moment, or the beginning of something truly remarkable and long-lasting? Case by case the outcome differs, but film directors tend to favor the more romantic ending. Not Richard LaGravenese, though. His adaptation of The Last Five Years (2014) challenges the mold of a Hollywood happy ending between opposite characters. The audience is shown the progression of actress Cathy (Anna Kendrick) and writer Jamie (Jeremy Jordan)’s tumultuous five-year relationship. The twist is that while Jamie’s scenes are shown chronologically, Cathy’s start from the end of the relationship and move backward. Throughout the film, Jamie is a much bigger dreamer than Cathy, who coming from humble beginnings sees the world for what it is.
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In “Shiksa Goddess,” while Jamie is waxing poetic about how he’s sick of dating all the Jewish girls in New York City, he opens his closet doors to a fantasy world where all of his ex-girlfriends await. He turns them all away and in the end comes back to Cathy, telling her she’s “the story I should write.” From the very beginning, she is somewhat of a tool for his writing goals-- something he can use. Cathy is similarly using Jamie. Her old reality back home was small and irrelevant, and so she went away in hopes to escape a similar fate. She thinks that teaming up with Jamie’s ambitious and idealistic perspective will save her. It’s interesting, though. She says all the things he doesn’t have to do or be, essentially lowering the bar to just enough. If it were Jamie, he would expect all those things of her, but because her whole life has been rooted in harsh reality, she is used to the bare minimum, so just his love is enough to make her
In “Shiksa Goddess,” while Jamie is waxing poetic about how he’s sick of dating all the Jewish girls in New York City, he opens his closet doors to a fantasy world where all of his ex-girlfriends await. He turns them all away and in the end comes back to Cathy, telling her she’s “the story I should write.” From the very beginning, she is somewhat of a tool for his writing goals-- something he can use. Cathy is similarly using Jamie. Her old reality back home was small and irrelevant, and so she went away in hopes to escape a similar fate. She thinks that teaming up with Jamie’s ambitious and idealistic perspective will save her. It’s interesting, though. She says all the things he doesn’t have to do or be, essentially lowering the bar to just enough. If it were Jamie, he would expect all those things of her, but because her whole life has been rooted in harsh reality, she is used to the bare minimum, so just his love is enough to make her