I watched this film at the suggestion of an acquaintance. I was thankfully warned that it doesn't have a happy ending. I don't usually like movies with sad endings although if I am prepared for the sad ending I will at least not be annoyed with/dislike the person who recommends/shows me the film. At the time that I watched the film it was on Netflix.
When I watched the film I had the slight annoyance of having the person that I watched the film with talking to me during the film. To be fair, the person was trying to be helpful and didn't realize that I found their behavior annoying. I did inform the person after the film and they apologized.
I sound a little rude I know but let me explain. When I am watching a film for the first time, I personally believe that quiet is best for first-time watching. I extend this courtesy to people that I am showing a film to for the first time. For me personally it is a way for me to immerse myself more fully in the experience of watching films. Everything goes away (for the most part) except the characters on screen and their story. I can fully appreciate the story and better understand what is going on even if I don't particularly like the film. But I digress.
The film opens with a sad Cathy (played very well by Anna Kendrick) singing mournfully about her husband Jaime (also played very well by Jeremy Jordan). Something has happened and they appear to be separated but the audience isn't made fully aware at that moment. The film then moves on to when Cathy and Jaime first become lovers. The movie goes on to tell the tale of how after the two date for a bit, they become married, then fall out of love and separate. It also vacillates between "the past" and "the present". In the interim the movie also talks about each character individually and their individual emotions/experiences/etc. The music of the film was excellent. The writing was excellent. The movie did a great job of putting you right there with the characters through the use of music, setting, colors, etc. You might not always agree with the characters but you still saw where they were coming from.
Ultimately I couldn't help but feel more sorry for Cathy. Anna Kendrick did a great job of portraying this young woman in a very sincere, genuine way. Every action, every song, every look was just great. Anna Kendrick really made you understand where the character was coming from.
Jeremy Jordan did a great job portraying Jaime. I liked him at first because he's going against tradition to be with Cathy (rather romantic which is right up my alley). I further liked him because he was endearing and sweet. When he became selfish and got worse from there, Jeremy made it to where I could understand where the character was coming from also in a genuine sincere manner. I even understood why Jaime ends the relationship although I wasn't happy about it.
Sometimes, in films where love doesn't work out for whatever reason, I don't always understand why characters do the things that they do. That wasn't the case with this film. It was very real-life but it also maintained a level of brightness. Sort of saying that even though things get bad they will inevitably get better.
This probably isn't a film that will make you cry necessarily (unless you happen to be going through something like this in real life). It does make you appreciate what you have or at least want to show appreciation for what you have. It does an excellent job of demonstrating the importance of communication especially in relationships. Further it illustrates the importance of being honest particularly with yourself.
The movie gave the impression that if Jaime hadn't married Cathy right before experiencing his success then maybe things might have turned out differently. The idea of course seems to be that Jaime wasn't ready for the seriousness of an exclusive relationship much less marriage whether following tradition or not as evidenced by his lack of fidelity. Cathy also should have been more honest too in expressing what she wanted from Jaime rather than just going along with things until it was too late.
(As it turns out apparently this film is based on a true life situation so yay for everyone keeping it real.)
This film is rated PG-13 for language, some sexual scenes, and some drug use so maybe not a film for younger audiences. I personally didn't notice offensive material but then again I wasn't watching it with the purpose of possibly displaying this for children.
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