Kissing Jessica Stein

Our Rating: L Factor: Major lesbian content Short Take: A straight New York journalist decides to respond to a woman-seeking-woman personals ad. She and a bisexual artist work on a relationship. Alternate Titles:
Year: 2001 Duration: 97 min Language: USA/English MPAA: R	Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld Writer: Heather Juergensen, Jennifer Westfeldt Starring: Heather Juergensen, Jennifer Westfeldt, Tovah Feldshuh

Kissing Jessica Stein Trailer

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This one starts like many a romantic movie. Jessica Stein (co-writer/producer Jennifer Westfeldt) is a straight Jewish journalist in New York, going through a series of disastrous dates. But Jessica takes a turn that others do not when she answers a woman-seeking-woman personals ad.

Meanwhile, artist Helen Cooper (co-writer/ producer Heather Juergensen) is very sexually active with men, but hasn’t been with a woman in a while. Her gay friends put a personals ad together for her, and so Jessica and Helen meet.

Neurotic Jessica’s analytic approach to the new experience of having sex with a woman is a hoot, and although she usually eschews relationships, Helen turns into a romantic with Jess. The two both appear to be in love, but Jessica finds herself unable to come out to her family and friends. Will she come to her senses? Unexpectedly, Jessica’s mother Judy (Tovah Feldshuh) comes through for her daughter.

[SPOILER] In some ways, all of the characters seem to be on the way to finding happiness in their lives, but when Jessica decides to go back to a man who has verbally abused her throughout the film, it doesn’t make sense for the character’s growth, regardless of whether she turned out to be simply bicurious or straight after all. What we thought was a romantic comedy about two women turns out to be about a straight couple. It’s a cute, smart and witty comedy … as long as you stop watching before the last ten minutes of the film. (AB)