Kissing Jessica Stein

Rating:
Summary: A step in the right direction for romantic comedy
Review: This was a wonderful beginning to what I hope is a more open-minded approach to romantic comedies--two strong, reletively secure, stable women who fall in love. There are obvious neuroses (what would a romantic comedy be without it?) but the two women, Helen and Jessica, are impressively "together" all on their own.

Jessica Stein is a brilliant, but bored, copy editor whose boss happens to be an old flame from college. Just when she has convinced herself that she isn't the problem--blaming everything the non-commital ...men of New York--her brother announces his engagement. Mortified and a little worried about her own single status, Jessica makes a life-altering decision: she answers a singles ad placed by another woman.

...I won't leak any details (because it's too funny to give away) but they're hilarious as they fumble through their relationship, learning as they go.

This movie is laden with great actresses, many of whom I've never seen before. We'll doubtless see more of Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen (hopefully as a team, since they write and act exceptionally well together). The wonderfully quirky performances of Jackie Hoffman (Joan) and Esther Wurmfeld (Grandma) are hilarious.

The most refreshing aspect of this movie is that it doesn't acknowledge the "femme" and "butch" stereotypes of lesbian relationships. Also, Westfeldt and Juergensen have written a screenplay that beautifully depicts (FINALLY) a long-neglected truth: sexuality is not black and white but rather fluid and ever-changing. I'm sure this "type" relationship is more common than anyone likes to admit. This movie is funny, quirky, fresh and all-around fun. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Miss me, Ms. Me, now you got to kiss me
Review: Three stars? It was okay. I actually left upset at the ending. But eventually I realized that there really aren't enough dramas about lesbians and their lifes. Comedies, yes. But, no thought out films.

So, this film gets 3 stars for fresh writing. Very natural acting, but the directing needs work.

Rating:
Summary: Touching, tasteful and funny.
Review: A film about relationships, familial and romantic, independent of gender, and about being open to new experiences. Funny and insightful indictment of male stereotypes. Great soundtrack. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Charming, funny, a film that shouldn't be missed!
Review: This movie completely shocked me in that it was actually what it claimed to be, "A Romantic Comedy". I cheered for the characters in their explorations of themselves. The character of Jessica Stein perfectly brings out the neurosis of sexual exploration, and in doing so gives people a real feel of what it's like to want to try to do something different in life. Although this film explores sexuality, it still is a film about women, written by women, therefore a lot of the nuances are real and very spot on. I found myself surprised that I could relate so welll to what was happening although I myself have never tried a same sex relationship. This was a great movie. It is not to be missed. Trust me.

Rating:
Summary: Offbeat romantic comedy
Review: Occasionally, you might hear a woman say she's given up on men. This is a movie about one who tried. Unfortunately, as the title character finds out, certain behaviors are not easy to change.

Jessica Stein, tired of bad dates, responds to a "Women Seeking Women" personal ad out of frustration and winds up in a lesbian relationship. The comedy arises primarily out of her discomfort with this attempt to change her life. Fortunately, this movie rises above gay stereotypes (for the most part) and treats its principal characters as fully developed human beings.

There are some imperfections in the movie, and there were sometimes when watching this movie when it seemed unoriginal. But overall, this is a good movie and a different approach to a familiar genre.

Rating:
Summary: Very funny and poignant
Review: Even after reading the negative reviews on this site, I had to go see this movie. As a bisexual woman, I was delighted by the movie's treatment of bisexual/gay love. I laughed alot and became thoughtful at the same time. This is a must-see for a woman considering a change in her sexuality.

Rating:
Summary: It's About Time!
Review: I loved this movie so much, my partner and I saw it the next evening it played. When we saw it the first night, half the group complained about it being a great movie except for the ending. I thought it was a perfect ending, absolutely not the Chasing Amy cop out. The ending had a realistic balance and it made sense if you watch the two main characters closely throughout the movie. I think the movie intelligently points out that just because women can usually connect on a higher emotional level with women as opposed to men, it doesn't make every woman a homosexual. That's why we all have our best girlfriends, as best portrayed by the wonderful relationships in Sex and the City. This movie isn't just about a lesbian experience, it's also about the roller coaster of being single and wondering if you're ever going to have a satisfying love relationship. But this is the best movie with a lesbian theme since When Night is Falling and the Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love. And I think any person, straight or gay, can relate to it and have a great laugh. Thanks to the writers/actresses whose obvious labor of love made the movie a joy to experience.

Rating:
Summary: My Own Surprise
Review: I went into the movie theater with a bad attitude. Every review had either praised the movie (straight sources) or complained about the obvious ending (lesbian sources). I figured this would be some cop-out just like Chasing Amy...ending with the straight girl realizing just how much she really likes the guy, instead of the girl.

What I found was a movie quite unlike what I had expected. I was charmed by this movie. After reading other reviews on this site and others, I wonder why there are complaints about a lack of happy endings in lesbian films....in my own collection, a huge majority have happy endings. I would not classify this ending as a sad one, just perhaps and realistic one based on the characters of the story.

To increase your chances of actually enjoying a film do the following: Stop taking every single thing in life as a political message for or against gays and lesbians...relax and enjoy this movie for what it is...a sweet and quirky light comedy. Even lesbians with bad attitudes about lesbian movies can enjoy this...I did.

Rating:
Summary: Kissing Jessica Stein
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to see this but, I was happy I did! I must see it again because the laughter from the audience was so loud that I couldn't hear some of the dialogue. It's playful, funny and worth the money. I was on a date so it was even more enjoyable - we can't stop talking about it! I thought the girl who plays Jessica was very similar to Lisa Kudrow but brunette. I will buy this when it's available on DVD. Please release it soon, I can hardly wait to add this to my collection!

Rating:
Summary: Oh, get off it
Review: If you're thinking of skipping this movie because some lesbians have written bad reviews of it, don't. My girlfriend and I both loved it.

Yes, the ending is bittersweet, but who wants the standard Hollywood schlock anyway? The relationship that is portrayed, and the way it plays out, struck me as very authentic and believable. Not to mention that the acting is great and it's the funniest movie I've seen in a long, long time.

Go see it, and take all your friends.