As a comedy, "Kissing Jessica Stein" is smart, funny, witty, and extremely well written. The actors did a wonderful job with the comedic timing to bring these quirky characters to life. There are even some meaningful scenes that explore the depths of some of the characters - especially a heartfelt moment between a concerned mother (Tovah Feldshuh) and her fragile daughter (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is the movie's namesake.
But let this marinate a little...
The character of Jessica strikes a delicate balance between being likable and being detestable. Most of the time, her frantic, neurotic behavior more than tips the scale towards detestable. Westfeldt did an excellent job with the character, but this tragic flaw, while meant to be humorous, is humorless and uncomfortable to watch. If she appeared to be more pensive and vulnerable (as she was in the aforementioned scene with her mother), I would have enjoyed it much more. |
