Kissing Jessica Stein

Kissing Jessica Stein - ****

Kissing Jessica Stein, written by and starring Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen has been often described as "lesbian cinema", a title that is really quite inaccurate when you consider the specifics. Neither of the two main characters, Helen and Jessica, are lesbians, and I'm not entirely sure that Jessica is even bisexual when her place in the relationship is brought into consideration. I also think that tagging on such a label creates expectations in the minds of viewers, and in truth, this isn't "that" kind of movie. In fact, it's a completely original spin on the conventional romantic comedy, pairing two bi-curious women who meet through a classified section. Westfeldt is fantastic in the lead role, and plays her as likeable although imperfect. Through Juergensen's Helen, those faults become much clearer, and both characters are much more complex because of it. The leading ladies really get the script (they should, they wrote it); this propels the film from good to excellent. Thumbs up.