Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Celeste and Jesse Forever


Celeste and Jesse Forever begins with a happily married couple acting happily married in that perfect, most truthful way as they drive down the streets of LA. They crack jokes, tell it like it is, playfully bicker, and, by the end of the scene, the dude has ditched the chick to go surfing.

To me, that’s real. It is those kinds of silly moments of love that are so hard to convey realistically. Sarah Polley got them (sort of) right in Take This Waltz, but, from the onset, Lee Toland Krieger’s Celeste and Jesse Forever makes it clear that it’s going to show you a relationship with the upmost accuracy.

Now the kicker. Soon after this opening scene, Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg), have dinner with another couple, wherein we learn the titular pair have been separated for a number of months, but are unwilling to move on and give up the very personal friendship they still share. In fact, Jesse (a moderately lazy, sort of stoner, who makes art, sometimes) still lives in Celeste’s guesthouse. Celeste, herself a successful “trend forecaster” (which, upon researching, is apparently a real thing. Only in LA.), doesn’t mind in the slightest. She likes having Jesse around. That, is, until he starts dating again, and the two go through a relatively wicked battle of finalizing their divorce.

There’s good and there’s bad here, so let’s crush the bad first.
In short, this movie is crudely uneven. And obvious. Because of its refreshing look and feel (handheld camerawork, dark blue hues, authentic acting), the film does its best to separate itself from other films of the romantic dramedy type. Problem is, despite its visual tone, the story, more or less, plays out in ways we’ve seen ten times over. She moves on from him, he gets jealous. He moves on from her, she gets jealous. She wants him back when he doesn’t want her around, and visa versa and on and on. Celeste and Jesse Forever really wants to be different, but its story (by Jones and actor Will McCormack, who also steals every scene he’s in as a hilarious weed dealer) is nothing new.

As for its unevenness, the movie is hot to cold, up to down, sometimes from scene to scene, sometimes within a scene. Many of the film’s tonal transitions are, again, obvious, and far from fluid.

Now the good. To say Celeste marks the best work Jones has ever done would be to undersell the value of this flawless performance. Every single thing Jones says and does as Celeste is rooted in truth. This is an actress who fought to get her film made (she also produced it), and finally had a chance to flex her best work when “action” was called. As far as I can see, there isn’t a single miss in her performance. Save Michael Caine’s work in The Dark Knight Rises, Jones’ Celeste is the best acting I’ve seen so far this year. It isn’t even close.
Samberg does good gently stepping out of his comic roots, hitting the emotional peaks required of Jesse when necessary. And most every other player involved, including the always-underused Chris Messina, Elijah Wood (who I never like but loved here), Eric Christian Olsen, and Ari Graynor, do well by their characters, even when the script does not.

This isn’t an easy film for me to review. There’s a lot I respect about it, but there’s a lot lacking. The passion and drive of the people involved to get it made is evident, but, in the end, it just isn’t enough. Or at least as much as it could be.  C+

17 comments:

  1. Lovely review, this sounds good, I remember reading about it ever since Sundance, where it premiered. I hope to see it soon, I like both Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg!

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    1. Thanks Diana! Aspects of the movie are good, for sure. If you like Jones and Samberg, then you'll love their work here. No. Doubt.

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  2. That sucks. Really looking forward to this one. It's still at my alt. theater, though...

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    1. I mean, it is by no means bad, but it tries way too hard to be different, when it's really just the same ol' song. Both leads are fantastic though.

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  3. It looks really "indie" and "sundance-ish", which is a good thing in my book. Has me intrigued the performance is THAT good from Rashida Jones. Where have I seen her before?

    Judging from those images, she seems more mature than him, though looks can be deceiving :)

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    1. It's VERY Sundance-ish, which is excellent in my book. It got a lot right, but it got a bit wrong, too. The maturity of the characters is really the crux of the whole flick. They're very mature and very immature, but never either at the same time.

      Jones has made a name for herself mostly on TV in shows like Boston Public, The Office, and Parks and Recreation. Her biggest film role was probably in I Love You Man, but she was better in The Social Network, Our Idiot Brother and, briefly, in Friends with Benefits. She's also the daughter of Quincy Jones.

      So... yeah, I'm a fan haha.

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  4. Sorry you were "meh" on the film. I still really want to see it. Though, it looks like "Like Crazy", a film I hated that just happened to have a fantastic female leading performance.

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    1. Ahh good initial comparison. I definitely liked it more than Like Crazy (and there were parts of that movie I dug). Celeste and Jesse is just a little too all over the place. "Meh" is fair, but some recognition for Jones' performance would be amazing. Even an Indie Spirit nom would be great.

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    2. Ha! For a second, I thought you meant Felicity Jones instead of Rashida. :) I'm a fan of Rashida's work, so that would be great if that happened.

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  5. Great review Alex. This film really took me by surprise by how emotionally realistic it felt. Jones and Samberg are both amazing in these roles and I hope that it makes Jones the big star she should have been awhile back. Quality rom-com that should be seen by all people struggling a bit with love.

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    1. Thanks Dan. Jones and Samberg were definitely on point. Although the film as a whole struggled a little here and there. Still worthy though.

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  6. Read that this movie was like a 'cousin' of 500 Days of Summer. Made me want to watch it right away. Great review, I'll make sure to watch it days ahead!

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    1. I think this is slightly more... mature (if that's the right word) than 500 Days of Summer.

      500 Days kind of felt like an intentional fantasy, whereas this is nitty and gritty. Not perfect by any means, but definitely more brutal than 500 Days. Thanks for reading/commenting!

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  7. Thanks for the review Alex, still deciding whether I watch this one. Either way, once I've decided I'll come back and read the full review :) C+ is always borderline watchable, ahhh decisions! It's a shame it's not quite there as I quite like Samberg.

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    1. If you like Samberg, I think you'll find the movie is time well spent. He and Jones really are good, the movie just has overal tonal issues. You might like it!

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  8. Great review! I like Jones in Parks and Rec but I'm not crazy about her, she is someone I usually tolerate in films and series. I may check this one out on DVD to see her work.

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, DVD is probably the way to go here. Not worth the money to fork out for the theater. Jones really is quite good in it.

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