Kissing Jessica Stein

The greatest thing about this romantic comedy is the fact that absolutely nothing has been romanticized. This is why I give it such a good rating - it's just refreshing to see something that doesn't follow genre convention, and even more impressive that, in my opinion, it should manage to do so without losing any of the target audience. There were a number of moments in the film, especially near the end (where most rom-coms lay on the cheese pretty thick) where I found myself thinking that this is what should, or what would, happen in this situation, were it to take place in real-life. Although this movie has been slotted into the gay/lesbian niche category, to me it had less focus on the girl-meets-girl relationship, instead choosing to concentrate on a theme of opening oneself up to the possibilities of life. Beyond all that, it's actually good for a few laughs, too. Actually, with the lead character's neurotic and uptight personality, this at times feels much like a Woody Allen flick. Solid acting and a great script here. My grade: B+

Avg. Critic's Score: 7.1 (via Rotten Tomatoes)
Avg. Viewer's Score: 7.0 (via Imdb)

Synopsis: After an optimistic but nightmarish dating spree, neurotic New York journalist Jessica Stein happens upon an intriguing personal ad whose only drawback is that it's in the 'women seeking women' section. On a daring whim, she decides to answer it and, to her surprise, ends up instantly clicking with downtown hipster Helen Cooper. The women proceed to muddle through an earnest courtship in which, with conventional gender roles absent, they are forced to make it up as they go along. (via Yahoo)

Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (Legally Blonde 2)
Writers: Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen
Stars: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen (The Haunted Mansion), Scott Cohen (Gia), Jackie Hoffman (Garden State), Tovah Feldshuh (Happy Accidents)

Useless Trivia: The cab scene where Helen and Jessica talk about blending lipstick was filmed after the filmmakers hailed a cab and paid the driver $20. The director drove, the director of photography was in the front seat and the sound woman climbed in the back trunk.