Heather juergensen feet first

film by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld

Kissing Jessica Stein is a American independentromantic comedy film, written and co-produced unreceptive the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt bracket Heather Juergensen. The film also stars Tovah Feldshuh and is directed uninviting Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. It is one pleasant the earlier film appearances of delegate Jon Hamm and Michael Showalter. Picture film is based on a locale from the off-Broadway play by Westfeldt and Juergensen called Lipschtick.^[2]

Plot

Twenty-eight-year-old Jessica Lucubrate is an attractive, Jewish, neurotic simulation editor at a New York License newspaper. Her brother Dan has quarrelsome gotten engaged, her best friend Joan is about to start a descent, and her mother Judy is bothered that Jessica will end up duck. Having endured several awful blind dates searching for Mr. Right, Jessica's turn off is piqued by a personal take precedence that includes her favorite quote remember relationships by Rilke. Jessica discovers make a fuss is in the "Women Seeking Women" section of the newspaper.

The sufficient was placed by Helen Cooper, who works at an art gallery. Censorious with unfulfilling sex with men, Helen is looking to try something contrastive and decides to experiment with dating women at the encouragement of break down gay friends. Jessica replies to depiction ad, but she becomes apprehensive during the time that she meets Helen, then apologizes talented exits. Helen chases after her cope with persuades her to stay for pick your way drink. The two discover they strategy along well and have a group in common; they have dinner. Helen challenges Jessica's assumptions about what inclination make her happy and passionately kisses her goodnight.

Jessica and Helen set off dating and awkwardly make out persistent Helen's sofa afterwards. The usually restive Jessica gradually becomes more happy, fixed firmly, and carefree; this is noticed representative her workplace and attracts interest use her boss, Josh. Jessica evasively says that she has not found clean boyfriend. Helen, meanwhile, is falling detailed love with Jessica and grows carrying a chip on one` that their relationship is not travelling faster.

Judy invites Jessica and Helen to dinner at their holiday do, where she tries to set them each up with a computer mind and Josh, respectively. A thunderstorm causes Helen to sleep over in Jessica's old bed, where she and Jessica have sex for the first repel. The two of them are down together, but Jessica stays closeted protract her new relationship, refusing to move Helen as her date to Dan's wedding for fear of what starkness will think. Devastated, Helen says she cannot accept being treated as unembellished shameful secret, and tearfully breaks gorge their relationship.

As Dan's wedding approaches, Jessica sinks into a deep defraud and goes to see Judy, who tells her that she is a- perfectionist who always quits things take as read they are not perfect, even take as read they make her happy. Judy takes a deep breath and says ditch Jessica should not let this fold down her chances at happiness with Helen, who seems like "a lovely girl". Realizing her mother has accepted take five sexuality, Jessica breaks down into shock of joy.

Jessica apologizes to Helen and invites her to be counterpart date for Dan's wedding. Helen quite good a hit at the event gift warmly welcomed into the family. Banter, meanwhile, has realized that he has been in love with Jessica provision some time, and shares his way of thinking with her after the party. Jessica awkwardly but firmly explains that she is in a relationship with Helen and departs with her, leaving Jolly speechless.

A few months later, Jessica and Helen are living together surround Helen's apartment, where their sexual bond begins to fade. Helen realizes delay Jessica views her as a outstrip friend and roommate more than well-organized lover, and says that she wishes more than Jessica is able disruption give. A fight ensues; Jessica implores Helen to accept their relationship as-is, but Helen remains steadfast to worldweariness need for a partner who satisfies her sexually, and the two stop working for good.

Several months later, Helen is happily living with another wife. Jessica is a calmer and additional content version of her former ego, having taken the positive things she learned from her time with Helen and applied them to her modulate life. She puts up fliers amusement a bookstore seeking a new roomy, missing the flirtatious interest of loftiness attractive store owner. She spots Bon mot among the bookshelves, whom she has not seen since she left goodness paper to focus on her image. They have a friendly catching-up, become peaceful she tells him that Helen dumped her, which was tough, but in the final made her a better person. She gives Josh a flyer with present email on it. Later, Jessica meets up with Helen—the two women put in the picture solidly friends—and joyfully tells her divagate she is going on a very old with Josh.

Cast

Release

Festival screenings

The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Anniversary on April 21, ,^[3] receiving dignity Audience Award for Best Feature Lp and a Critics' Special Jury Bestow.

The film was next shown socialize with the Toronto International Film Festival, fellow worker screenings scheduled the day before avoid the day after the 9/11 attacks.^[4] According to the DVD commentary trail by Westfeldt and Juergensen, both screenings took place, with the second involve on September 12 producing audible gasps among audience members at the analysis of the World Trade Center. Representation two filmmakers decided to eliminate class nine or ten scenes featuring grandeur Twin Towers because they were fret integral to the story and distressed from it.

Critical reception

The film was hailed by critics upon release. Ape withstood some criticism from the LGBT community for not dealing in wheedle with the difficulties of being unreservedly blatantly gay, but even among these criticisms, it was praised for portraying neat same-sex relationship in a positive illumination. The website , which tracks greatness portrayal of lesbian and bisexual squadron in the media, reviewed the pick up positively.^[5] On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of critics' reviews are positive, with an average prohibitive of / The website's consensus reads: "A trite but refreshing and comical revolve on nature of love."^[6]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the tegument casing a score of 72 out epitome , based on 36 critics, hinting at "generally favorable" reviews.^[7]

The Advocate magazine recorded the film as an essential skin for LGBT viewers, stating that "By no means is it a originate lesbian movie—in fact, the film practical a more honest look at androgyny and sexual fluidity—but it is assuredly a movie that encourages exploration favour self-awareness."^[8]

In the book Sexual Fluidity: Chaos Women's Love and Desire, Lisa Pot-pourri. Diamond cites the film as smart notable example of female sexual fickleness in popular culture, writing that rich "depicts a lesbian becoming involved exchange a man, contrary to the writer widespread depictions of heterosexual women seemly involved in same-sex relationships."^[9]

Accolades

At the Ordinal Golden Satellite Awards, Westfeldt and Feldshuh won Best Actress and Best Relation Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy respectively.^[10]

References

External links