Kissing Jessica Stein (2002)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

I wouldn't care if it was either but I thought the ending was just so stupid because Jessica and Helen were meant for each other. I mean, this story was meant to be based on a young Jewish woman trying to find herself who she truly is. I thought Helen was a great example for being with her because she had ticked all the boxes and just someone you can easily look up to. I thought it was a big mistake that she had to dump Jessica just because they were lacking having sex which is stupid for the writers to just break the characters apart.I don't know why they added in Josh into this, he's like a stalker and a pervert who just wants to use Jessica just because she is beautiful! Seriously, I have never seen a movie turn out bad in the end in my life!

Before tonight, I have never even heard of this movie. I also don't normally watch romantic comedies because many times, they are very corny and just don't work. Now, while this movie isn't perfect (and believe me, it is VERY far from perfect), it is interesting in both premise and title.Kissing Jessica Stein actually starts off on a promising note. While the 2 love interests (Jessica and Helen) have very different beginnings, their chemistry as a couple is really believable. Because of that, I am on board for a lesbian love story. Throughout the movie, I kept rooting for their relationship to grow and for a while, it does. Jessica and Helen I think are a really cute couple and when they're in love, they are very likable as characters. As Jessica and Helen make out, it gives a sexy vibe to the movie.But, giving this indie film a chance, my praise ends as I leave that last paragraph. See, this film could have been much more, but instead, we get a totally watered-down, rushed plot that is really just a cöcktease and past the make outs, the film never really goes anywhere and instead plays it safe. In a film about lesbian relationships, it would have been a better move to show a few scenes of nudity since it stated the 2 girls have sex, and as an indie film about a lesbian relationship, this probably would have benefited more as an NC-17 film rather than an R.The transitioning is so fast that it becomes haphazard really quick. As a result, the plot has no flesh, no development, and many times throughout the movie, I am left wondering what happened. It isn't all like this because obviously the heart-to- heart Jessica and her mother have has time to be in the movie, but many scenes (a make up scene between Jessica and Helen is most definitely one of those scenes) could have used a few more minutes time given to the scene so that I could understand the happenings of the film a little more.Speaking of which, the ending where Jessica and Helen break up for good and become just friends really defeats the purpose of the film and so it squanders a chance to really be something special. Once again, how this all happens is rushed to oblivion and it really doesn't work. It would have done better to let the 2 girls grow in love with one another and end in their own wedding. Instead, it becomes a clichéd guy gets a girl ending that just doesn't fit in at all.One last thing, the soundtrack is atrocious. Good songs are ruined by bad covers, and the songs I haven't heard before ruin the mood of the movie. The only thing these songs add to anything about the movie is how safe this movie plays.So with everything said, I welcome gay relationships in movies. Brokeback Mountain and Boys Don't Cry do this very well. But in the case of this movie, it could have been a great movie, yet it didn't want to take risks and instead went for a rushed, safe plot.

At the beginning of "Kissing Jessica Stein" we meet Jessica (Jennifer Westfeldt) sitting in synagogue between her mother and grandmother discussing the lack of Jessica's love life. Jessica interrupts and says "Shut up mother, I'm atoning." This sums up and sets the tone for the greatness of this film - Jessica is authentic and very funny.I connected instantly with Jessica as I am sure many single or recently single women can (and I'm not even Jewish). I usually hate making film comparisons to Woody Allen because a)its being done way too often and b)its just not Woody Allen who is still making great films for us. But in this case, part of my connection to Jessica is that writer and star Jennifer Westfeldt, like me, has probably seen "Annie Hall" one hundred times, and a great deal of Diane Keaton's Annie shines through in Jessica."Kissing Jessica Stein" is a romantic comedy about a girl who basically just doesn't know what she wants, but its better than that statement. The film is very well written and very funny. The relationships explored are real and three-dimensional and every element that moves the story forward is done with subtlety and humour. There is one mistake in the writing, and the writers make it obvious that they are writers, but it doesn't matter because the film is just that good. When they start getting too far from the audience with a character philosophizing about his current stance in life, they pull us right back in with a great line "You got dark." It also helps that Westfeldt is married to Jon Hamm and is friends with some of the best comedians in the business.After you finish watching "Kissing Jessica Stein" (which, believe me, you have to), find Westfeldt's next foray into her version of romantic comedies "Ira and Abby" (2006). Oh, and if for some reason you haven't yet, see Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" (1977) first.

Seeing the trailer, I really did not think this was going to be a favorite. I thought it's gonna be a feel-good flick about "coming out" or maybe "sexual identity confusion" which would eventually be another romantic I-saw-that-already. Though admittedly there were some clichés and bad acting left noticed, what caught me sticking was the intensity in most scenes and dialogues--delivered naturally and wickedly satirical and funny! Also, I think that the way the cinematography payed attention to the small details around a particular character is exquisite (e.g. like how Jessica, for all her intellect, still has a dumb side -- maybe because her facial features are quite of a blonde's? Well, she's a Jew so I don't know ^_^ )