Before
My Big Fat Greek Wedding became all the rage, another independent comedy made a splash - granted, nowhere as
large - and that was called
Kissing Jessica Stein. It''s the story of the year that independent films are making headway, and
Kissing Jessica Stein can easily be included; it''s a well done and funny romantic comedy with good acting and a great script.
Jennifer Westfeldt stars as the title character, a straight woman who does not have much luck in finding the right guy. So she responds to an ad in the Women for Women section. She meets a woman (Heather Juergensen) and they soon start going out, but Jessica needs to take it slow, because, after all, she is straight. Things get more involved, but lesbian relationships aren''t perfect, either.
Kissing Jessica Stein has so many well done elements going on at once that it''s hard to know where to begin. It has a great script and good acting to compliment it; all of the actors spit out the lines flawlessly and casually. Westfeldt is especially good - that''s probably why she was given the lead role - pulling off a professional but slightly depressed individual. She is nervous sort of like Rachel in "Friends," but a lot more believable and a lot more intelligent. It''s fun to watch her on screen.