Review of Celeste & Jesse Forever (2012) by Kevin J — 02 Feb 2013

Celeste and Jesse Forever aims for the quirky-indie-unconventional rom-com label that the better (500) Days of Summer captured a few years ago. Like (500), C&J is another dramedy about a boy and a girl whose relationship doesn't follow the traditional cinematic path of romance found in most movies .

.. although this one isn't quite as fun or charming. Celeste (Rashida Jones - The Social Network, "Parks & Recreation") and Jesse (Andy Samberg - "SNL" Hot Rod) are best friends who have married but find that their romance isn't as long-lived as their friendship.

The two vow to remain the best of friends but their closest friends (Eric Christian Olsen, Ari Graynor) don't know what to make of the friendly-pair when they both decide they should "move on" with other relationships but remain the bestest of friends.

While Jesse quickly moves on to another girlfriend, Celeste begins to question her earlier decisions and finds re-entering the dating world difficult (which allows Jones to display some rather decent acting in my opinion).

Emma Roberts (Scream 4, Its Kind of a Funny Story) co-stars as a bubble-head pop princess whom Celeste, a "trend forecaster", is assigned to work with and while the two are worlds apart their interesting story arc allows for them to find common ground.

C&J is better than many brainless romantic comedies and it never follows a set pattern of predictability. Both leads do a respectable job in their roles (Jones is the better actor) and the film's conclusion is a fitting one.

The film asks questions and tries to answer them in regards to this situation. That is what makes C&J better than most ... it isn't cookie-cutter as it is an original story (not a "fresh take" on an oft-told story).