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copyright ©1999-2002
DigsMagazine.com.
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Plot synopsis
Smart, attractive Jessica
Stein (Westfeldt) is the quintessential neurotic single woman living in
New York. She has a solid job and a gorgeous apartment, as well as great
friends and a loving family — none of whom can understand why someone
as terrific as Jessica can’t seem to find a nice guy and settle down.
But Jessica is just plain tired of the dating scene. In a short montage,
it becomes evident that she’s searched every nook and cranny of the
city for a suitable man, and her patience for jerks, tightwads, and
outright nutjobs is running low. A colleague shows her a personal ad,
the author of which sounds like a perfect match for Jessica.
Unfortunately, the oh-so-perfect ad has just one hitch: it’s aimed at
women-seeking-women, something Jessica is not. But in an act of courage,
she uncharacteristically throws caution to the wind and agrees to meet
this possible soulmate. The writer of the ad turns out to be Helen
Cooper (Juergensen), a hip, sexually-open woman who is also testing the
lesbian waters. Upon their first meeting, it’s clear that they’re a
match made in midtown—Helen’s flip and carefree attitude complements
Jessica’s relationship hang-ups better than any man ever has. After an
awkward first kiss, Jessica’s hooked. She and Helen embark on a
relationship that is spontaneous and new, yet carefully contrived.
Jessica’s hesitancy to allow Helen to participate in certain aspects
of her life leads the pair to question if their relationship can survive
in a dominantly hetero world, and whether Jessica can cope with romance sans
a man.
Review
Kissing Jessica Stein made me want to
be a lesbian, pure and simple. I mean, what’s better than hanging with
your best friend, lounging in bed all day, then meandering down to the
corner market to buy brunch fixins’? However, while Kissing Jessica
Stein explores the wonderful eccentricities of girl-girl love, it
also allows that lesbianism might not be for everyone. Jessica has major
issues with her new status as girlfriend-to-a-girlfriend, and her
neuroses about relationships and expectations are hilariously honest.
The make-out scenes between Jessica and Helen are cringe-worthy and
riotous, evoking the kind of faux intimacy and awkwardness of
sixth-grade Spin the Bottle. This modern take on sex and the single
woman is fresh and stylish, albeit a tad predictable. While there is
some believability to Jessica’s concerns about coming out, the
reactions of her friends and family are far-fetched – they’re
unanimously, instantly understanding and accepting of the news that
Jessica and Helen aren’t just friends but lovers, in a way that’s
all very happy and nice, but just doesn’t ring true. Furthermore,
Jessica’s inability to choose between Helen and ex-boyfriend/boss Josh
(Cohen) seems to demonstrate the pristine coolness of switching teams.
To a straight person this is perhaps understandable and fun, but I
wonder how the gay world feels about this kind of wavering. Still, while
Kissing Jessica Stein
follows the schema of the archetypical
romantic comedy, it makes up for its weaknesses with wit and
indisputable flavor. —reviewed by
Bridget Huffine
Bridget
Huffine (bridgeth@hotmail.com)
is
a freelance writer living in Denver, with dreams of relocating to the
Big Apple in the near future. She spends the cold Colorado winters
curled up on the couch, watching videos, maniacally applying rhinestones
to anything and everything.
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