The unbalanced nature of the adaptation makes for a basically unsatisfying experience (Jamie, a jerk, gets his way with everything, and Cathy, a sweetheart, doesn't), but there are moments of real delight in the movie ...

LaGravenese doesn't seem to have a particular vision for how to shoot or tell this particular story, so he just aims for the most straightforward method possible most of the time, and that ultimately cripples the film in ways it can't recover from.

It's a film to bring tears to the eyes of a cynic - in fact, a cynic might relish it more than anyone, since it's the counterpointing of exuberance with unashamed bleakness that makes The Last Five Years so rich.

Whilst the film version doesn't capture the full magic of the show, it's a close-enough stopgap till the opportunity arises to see it on the stage again.