For me, there has been no more exciting composer-lyricist regularly represented on Broadway in the last ten years than Jason Robert Brown. Every project he touches drips with a fierce honesty and lyrical poetry that sets him apart from just about everyone writing these days (save Adam Guettel). There is something inherently theatrical about the premise of each piece, which is probably why they register so beautifully on the stage. I admit that I was skeptical about how a film version of Brown's The Last Five Years would play. It turns out that my concerns were well-warranted.