Kissing Jessica Stein

Amazon.com

Blessed by casual charm and sophisticated wit, Kissing Jessica Stein does for same-sex romance what Annie Hall did for straight neurotics. The influence of Woody Allen is keenly felt on this resourceful New York comedy (expanded from an off-Broadway play), especially when cowriter and costar Jennifer Westfeldt channels Diane Keaton's "la-di-da" nervousness as Jessica Stein, a romantically frustrated heterosexual copyeditor who impulsively answers a personal ad from a bisexual woman. Helen (cowriter Heather Juergensen) is as relaxed about lesbian love as Jessica is anxious, but they click as lovers, and so does the movie's delightful exploration of their budding relationship, which is further complicated by Jessica's yenta-like mother (Tovah Feldshuh) and a former boyfriend (Scott Cohen) who's now Jessica's boss. While acknowledging the serious repercussions of Jessica's bisexual flirtation, Kissing Jessica Stein takes its characters on a smart, compassionate journey of self-discovery that's as truthfully observant as it is gently entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

The title character is a nice Jewish girl from Scarsdale who is not gay, but wants to know how to be. After a series of dates with feckless men, she answers a personal ad placed by a woman seeking a woman. So far, so straight. The twist is that the woman who wrote the ad is, like Jessica, débuting as a lesbian, and together the two begin a jittery emotional experiment. Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt play the leads, and they also wrote the script, which is very chatty and fast. Their courtship scenes convince where it matters most: showing how the skittish and prim Stein might loosen up and respond to another woman, a self-imposed dare that becomes a reality. The conclusion is a confused mess, but in a way that's fine: it leaves the movie open-ended, giving it an afterlife as a conversation piece. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Description

Sex and the single girl gets a fresh new spin in this "very funny movie"! (Joel Siegel, Good morning America) Fed up with her fruitless search for "Mr. Right" and tired of blind dates from hell, attractive journalist Jessica Stein whimsically responds to a classified ad - from Helen! Making and breaking new rules of dating as they go, the two women muddle through an earnest but hilarious courtship that blurs the lines between friendship and romantic love in this "smashing romantic comedy" (Rolling Stone)

Customer Reviews:

A very delightful, and unortodox, romantic conedy.......2007-08-21

This is an absolutely terrific movie. I had never heard of this movie when I first bought it. I saw a recommendation for it, than read the description and decided to buy this movie. And I've loved it since.

Jessica answers a personal ad from Helen and their lives are turned upside down from that moment on. This is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. It's just a delight considering some of the more, high priced boring romantic comedies that come along on a yearly basis.

The DVD contains 2 commentaries, one from the stars and one from the crew. Plenty of deleted scenes, including the original ending, and a behind the scenes featurette and trailer.

One of the deleted scenes features a kiss between two unlikely people.

Highly recommended.

The best romantic comedy of '02.......2007-05-26

"Kissing Jessica Stein" features no major (or even minor) stars, a low budget (about $1 million), and a taboo topic. But the film, which never would have been made without the perseverance of screenwriters and co-stars Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt, is a refreshing mix of quirky indie spirit and classic romantic-comedy sentiment.

Westfeldt plays Jessica Stein, a neurotic New York copy editor who's fed up with the dating game. If having her overprotective Jewish mother set her up with undesirable suitors wasn't bad enough, she also has to deal with one bad date after another, not to mention working for her ex-boyfriend (a solid Scott Cohen).

The movie gets off to a somewhat rocky star, with the humor coming across as forced and the scenarios boasting a been-there-seen-that feel.

Fortunately, when Jessica decides to answer a personal ad in the "Women Seeking Women" section, the film takes off. The first date between Jessica and Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), a downtown hipster with bisexual preferences, is beautifully written and acted. Jessica's gradual transition from feeling awkward to being intrigued is completely believable.

From then on out, with the exception of a few minor lapses, "Kissing Jessica Stein" is a fresh and funny romantic comedy that explores the ups and downs of the blossoming relationship between Jessica and Helen. Juergensen and Westfeldt, aided by a solid supporting cast, deliver plenty of laughs. Case in point: a highly amusing scene in which Jessica and Helen prod two unknowing, would-be male suitors into telling them why two women together are so sexy.

But "Kissing Jessica Stein" isn't all light laughs. With the help of director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, Juergensen and Westfeldt dig into some highly effective dramatic scenes that round out the characters and give the film a little more depth. A nicely shot scene in which the two quarrel about Jessica's unwillingness to tell her family and friends about their lesbian relationship packs a powerful emotional wallop. Ditto a heartfelt exchange between Jessica and her mom late in the film.

While director Herman-Wurmfeld does a fine job of making this low-budget pic look like its budget is much larger, he wisely leaves the focus on the actors and the film's excellent script. Westfeldt, who brings to mind an indie Lisa Kudrow, digs beyond sitcom superficiality to find the longing beneath Jessica's perfectionist leanings. The charismatic Juergensen, tough yet vulnerable, is superb as Helen -- keep your eye on this promising actress.

It's a kick to see two talented young women sticking it to the male-dominated movie scene and creating a top-notch film through their perseverance and talent. Anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy and understands how rarely they come along won't want to miss "Kissing Jessica Stein."

Great movie!.......2007-05-18

It's about a very conservative/neurotic woman who's fed up with men, and on a whim decides to try dating a woman instead. An all around good movie. It made me laugh, almost made me cry... I think they could've done a little more with the ending, but I thought it was still pretty good. It's even a good movie to have your boyfriend/husband watch with you(not super-girly). I would recommend this movie to just about anyone.

love it.......2007-03-22

i think i am being a bit bias, but i love this movie. the seller sent it out relatively quickly as well.

A Great Love Story.......2007-01-14

A lesbian love story, Kissing Jessica Stein is cute and sweet. Jessica is fed up of crappy dates with crappy men, so she takes a chance on a personal ad and begins dating Helen. Jessica finds everything she ever wanted in Helen, but keeps the relationship a secret because Jessica's not a lesbian. The relationship eventually deteriorates, but the experience gives Jessica a new outlook on life.

Average customer rating:

Imagine Me & You/Kissing Jessica Stein
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt , Heather Juergensen , Scott Cohen , Jackie Hoffman , and Michael Mastro
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld , and Ol Parker
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000HT3PV0
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Average customer rating:

Come for Jennifer Aniston, but chances are you will stay for Jessica Stein
2 in 1 deal

The Good Girl / Kissing Jessica Stein
Starring: Jennifer Aniston , Deborah Rush , Mike White , John Carroll Lynch , and Jake Gyllenhaal
Director: Miguel Arteta , and Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( G ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002IQKRM
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Customer Reviews:

Come for Jennifer Aniston, but chances are you will stay for Jessica Stein.......2006-04-21

You can have a lot of fun trying to figure out the logic for this DVD combos. I figure this one is justified because "G" and "K" are close to each other in the alphabet. In "The Good Girl" you have a recognizable star playing a married woman in a small town, while in "Kissing Jessica Stein" you have an unknown playing a single girl in the big city who discovers she might be a lesbian. Just do not be surprised when you check these movies out because of Jennifer Aniston, but end up liking the other film a whole lot more.

In "The Good Girl," a 2002 film from director Miguel Arteta, Aniston plays Justine, a 30-year-old clerk who is bored to tears by her job at Retail Rodeo where the only excitement is when Cheryl (Zooey Deschanel) makes one of her "Attention, Shoppers" announcements over the public address system and starts spewing insults and bizarre nonsense. Cheryl is dispatched to doing makeovers for women customer, while Justine notices Holden (Jake Gyllenhaal), the new kid at the store who is reading "The Catcher in the Rye" and who dispenses its wisdom. Holden's name is really Tom, which makes his rants about hypocrisy rather ironic, but clearly he is the first breeze of any kind in Justine's life in a long, long time. Whatever his name, a college dropout sure beats what is waiting for her at home.

Justine is married to Phil (John C. Reilly), who paints houses and always wishes it was raining so he can keep watching television. Phil spends more time with his best buddy, Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson). During the day they paint houses and during the night they smoke weed and watch the tube. Bubba thinks of Justine as the ideal woman and having turned his back on ever having a relationship of his own with a woman vicariously enjoys the happy marriage of his best friend. No wonder Justine falls pretty to Holden's advances and their first tryst at a fleabag motel turns into grabbing every possible opportunity to do it again. Unfortunately, the amorous couple are seen and in an escalating series of events we wonder how high of a price Justine is going to have to pay.

You know that in every small town in America there is a girl with looks but without ambition who parlays her attractiveness into marrying a local stud who would never get out of that town alive. Actually, none of this background is mentioned in the film, but it makes sense that Phil must have done something in the past to get a girl like Justine. What is important in this film is that whatever he had and whatever he offered Justine it is long gone. This is a marriage that has no reason to exist beyond the fact that it does, which helps explain the resolution of this film as much as anything. The performance by the four principles are solid enough, and the supporting cast offers a variety of eccentrics that flesh out this particular seedy little town. "The Good Girl" is as much a character study as anything else and whatever its limitations finds a large measure of redemption in the final scene between husband and wife (3.5 Stars).

The title character in "Kissing Jessica Stein" (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a nice, young Jewish girl who cannot find herself a man. Based on the montage of some of the worst (and funniest) first dates in history, a reasonable course of action would be for Jessica to just stop looking, but she answers a "women seeking women" ad placed by Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who is bisexual. As you watch this 2001 film it becomes clear that both women are looking for love rather than sex, which is perfect because this film is not about sex. The question here is not just whether the girl will get the girl, but what they are going to do when that finally happens.

There is something intrinsically sweet about the relationship between Jessica and Helen. Besides, the biggest obstacle to their happiness is not Josh Myers (Scott Cohen), Jessica's college boy friend, but Jessica herself, which remains both the character's curse and her charm. Helen is not sure what to expect when Jessica shows up and getting physical proves difficult because they are so many places where Jessica does not want to be touched, but there is an undeniable something between the two young women that serves as the basis for a relationship, with or without benefits. Once Helen becomes aware that Jessica loves her, she suddenly shows a patience that we would not have expected from her. Yet Helen is even more uncomfortable with the idea of her family and friends knowing about their relationship than she is with actual physical intimacy, and there is no doubt that things will come to a head between them.

Westfeldt and Juergensen first created and played the characters of Jessica and Helen for their stage play "Lipschtick," which certainly explains why they are both so totally comfortable in their roles. As writers they have created a script that is smart and witty, and one of the biggest surprises is that they do not give the film's best moment to themselves but to Tovah Feldshuh as Judy Stein, Jessica's mother. I have been a fan of Feldshuh's for years, but I was still blown away by her mother-daughter talk with Jessica, and the exquisitely powerful delivery of a single line. This is one of those memorable jewels of a moment in a movie where you know you will never forget it and just thinking about it invokes its power. "Kissing Jessica Stein" is not a great romantic comedy, but it is very good, which makes it stand out in that genre, especially with regards to same sex romantic comedies. Besides, any romance that treats both the heart and the head with equal regard is worth checking out (4.5 Stars).

2 in 1 deal.......2005-07-21

I lvoe how they put movies in a pack like this one. Both were outstanding movies!!

Average customer rating:

Kissing Jessica Stein

Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Average customer rating:

A very delightful, and unortodox, romantic conedy
The best romantic comedy of '02
Great movie!
love it
A Great Love Story

Kissing Jessica Stein [Region 2]
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt , Heather Juergensen , Scott Cohen , Jackie Hoffman , and Michael Mastro
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( K ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00006681T

Amazon.com

From The New Yorker

Customer Reviews:

A very delightful, and unortodox, romantic conedy.......2007-08-21

The best romantic comedy of '02.......2007-05-26

Great movie!.......2007-05-18

love it.......2007-03-22

i think i am being a bit bias, but i love this movie. the seller sent it out relatively quickly as well.

A Great Love Story.......2007-01-14

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