Kissing Jessica Stein (2002) [R] ****

Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a New York City journalist, single and straight. Her editor, Josh Meyers (Scott Cohen), was a college friend of her older brother's; Josh dated Jessica for a year, so he knows from personal experience that she's a perfectionist, doomed to endure countless first dates with men who fail to measure up to her high standards.

Jessica is at the point of swearing off dating and focusing on her passion which is painting, when a co-worker reads her a Personals ad in the women seeking women section. The ad includes a quote from poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and Jessica loves Rilke. So, on a whim, she answers the ad, and agrees to meet Helen (Heather Juergensen) for a glass of wine. Helen is an art gallery curator, and while she's straight, and has several boyfriends, one of whom she uses primarily for sex, she also has two gay male friends, and she's bi-curious.

What Jessica and Helen don't realize is that they are looking for different things. Jessica wants companionship, friendship, and intellectual and artistic stimulation - basically she wants a roommate. She's not really interested in sex. Helen, on the other hand, wants much more, and eventually she becomes frustrated by Jessica's lack of a strong sexual drive. Given their different needs, it's understandable that the course of Jessica and Helen's relationship isn't as smooth as that found in Imagine Me & You. And it doesn't have the intensity and drama found The L Word. The screenplay, written by Westfeldt and Juergensen, is excellent; direction and editing are first rate, as is the supporting cast, especially Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Jessica's supportive and sympathetic mother. As professional film critics have noted, this is not a lesbian love story; it's about breaking down boundaries and opening oneself to new possibilities in life. And if you approach the story with that in mind, you may be pleasantly surprised. 

Labels: comedy, drama, lesbian, rom-drama-faves, romance    
Internet Movie Database 6.6/10   
Metacritic 72/100   
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=71, viewers=64)

Blu-ray