Kissing Jessica Stein
3/4
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, Scott Cohen, Jackie Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh
Rated R for Sexual Content and Language
Too often, we see movies that just exist. They may be fun at best, but they're completely without purpose. It is rare that we see a movie that is actually about something. "Kissing Jessica Stein" is about love in its many forms.
Jessica Stein (Westfeldt) is a perfectionist New Yorker who is stressed about still being single in her thirties. The guys she dates are your assorted gallery of freaks and losers that a person like Jessica wants to avoid. Then she sees an ad in the personals that appeals to her, but there's a problem: the writer is a woman. Still, Jessica meets this person, whose name is Helen (Juergensen) and they hit it off. She's soon falling for this vivacious woman, except that she's straight. Or is she?
The two stars, Westfeldt and Juergensen, adapted their play "Lipschtick" into a screenplay and as is often the case when stage actors come to film, the acting is terrific (you'd think that Hollywood would take the hint and get most of their actors from Broadway instead of modeling agencies) and the leads have chemistry (it doesn't burn, but it is there). Westfeldt makes for a likable, if neurotic, woman. Her turmoil is believable, and she's sympathetic enough that we like her instead of thinking that she's a manipulative bitch. For her part, Juergensen is also very good as the lively Helen. She knows what she wants, but she is patient with Jessica, despite the annoyance of one of her friends. But she's not a saint either, and eventually her patience wears thin. Scott Cohen is very good as Josh, Jessica's ex-turned-boss, who's jerk-ish personality is hiding some buried feelings. We feel for him, and he's not a typical romantic rival. Jackie Hoffman and Esther Wurmfeld add some smart comic relief as Joan (Jessica's very pregnant co-worker) and Jessica's Grandma Esther. Tovah Feldshuh is also quite good as Jessica's mother, who's role goes far beyond the "Jewish mother" character. She may be Jewish, but she's just like any other mom.
The problem with the film is its pacing. It's both too long and too short; some scenes drag on for far too long, while others could have used some beefing up. The "three months later" captions feel like abrupt interruptions rather than necessary transitions. Although director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld has a gift for directing actors and the script sufficiently opens up the play (to the point where it's hard to believe that it originated on the stage) but he seems unsure of what the film should be. The pacing is really uneven, and that hampers our ability to get involved.
I did like the ending however. It is a happy ending of sorts, but it is earned. It doesn't feel like a tacked on addition by poor test screenings or nervous studio executives (the minimal budget of $1,000,000 probably has something to do with it).
I guess I recommend the film, although with some serious reservations. Flawed though it may be, it's willingness to be about something, it's intelligent and honest approach to material that could have turned into a sleazy porno-wannabe, and its solid acting and characterization.
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, Scott Cohen, Jackie Hoffman, Tovah Feldshuh
Rated R for Sexual Content and Language
Too often, we see movies that just exist. They may be fun at best, but they're completely without purpose. It is rare that we see a movie that is actually about something. "Kissing Jessica Stein" is about love in its many forms.
Jessica Stein (Westfeldt) is a perfectionist New Yorker who is stressed about still being single in her thirties. The guys she dates are your assorted gallery of freaks and losers that a person like Jessica wants to avoid. Then she sees an ad in the personals that appeals to her, but there's a problem: the writer is a woman. Still, Jessica meets this person, whose name is Helen (Juergensen) and they hit it off. She's soon falling for this vivacious woman, except that she's straight. Or is she?
The two stars, Westfeldt and Juergensen, adapted their play "Lipschtick" into a screenplay and as is often the case when stage actors come to film, the acting is terrific (you'd think that Hollywood would take the hint and get most of their actors from Broadway instead of modeling agencies) and the leads have chemistry (it doesn't burn, but it is there). Westfeldt makes for a likable, if neurotic, woman. Her turmoil is believable, and she's sympathetic enough that we like her instead of thinking that she's a manipulative bitch. For her part, Juergensen is also very good as the lively Helen. She knows what she wants, but she is patient with Jessica, despite the annoyance of one of her friends. But she's not a saint either, and eventually her patience wears thin. Scott Cohen is very good as Josh, Jessica's ex-turned-boss, who's jerk-ish personality is hiding some buried feelings. We feel for him, and he's not a typical romantic rival. Jackie Hoffman and Esther Wurmfeld add some smart comic relief as Joan (Jessica's very pregnant co-worker) and Jessica's Grandma Esther. Tovah Feldshuh is also quite good as Jessica's mother, who's role goes far beyond the "Jewish mother" character. She may be Jewish, but she's just like any other mom.
The problem with the film is its pacing. It's both too long and too short; some scenes drag on for far too long, while others could have used some beefing up. The "three months later" captions feel like abrupt interruptions rather than necessary transitions. Although director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld has a gift for directing actors and the script sufficiently opens up the play (to the point where it's hard to believe that it originated on the stage) but he seems unsure of what the film should be. The pacing is really uneven, and that hampers our ability to get involved.
I did like the ending however. It is a happy ending of sorts, but it is earned. It doesn't feel like a tacked on addition by poor test screenings or nervous studio executives (the minimal budget of $1,000,000 probably has something to do with it).
I guess I recommend the film, although with some serious reservations. Flawed though it may be, it's willingness to be about something, it's intelligent and honest approach to material that could have turned into a sleazy porno-wannabe, and its solid acting and characterization.
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