Romantic comedies and indie dramedies generally serve as great summer counter-programming – for those who aren’t in the mood to watch the latest action-packed blockbuster offering from Hollywood. Case in point: the same day the Total Recall remake and Bourne Legacy charge into theaters, Sony Classics will release the indie romantic dramedy, Celeste and Jesse Forever.
Celeste and Jesse Forever screened earlier this year at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received overall mixed-to-positive marks from critics and casual moviegoers alike. The films was co-written by Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation), who headlines the picture alongside SNL veteran Andy Samberg – the latter being not-so-fresh off an appearance in the underperforming Adam Sandler yuckfest, That’s My Boy – and working under the direction of Lee Toland Krieger (The Vicious Kind).
Jones and Samberg play Celeste and Jesse, a longtime married couple who remain best buds into their early 30s… even after they decide to get divorced. Obviously, that sets the stage for some conflict, especially once Celeste realizes that she may not be ready to permanently call it quits on her romantic relationship with Jesse – just as her ex-significant other (you know what’s coming…) starts to become serious about moving on with his life.
Rounding out the supporting cast of Celeste and Jesse Forever are such people as Elijah Wood, Emma Roberts (Scream 4), Eric Christian Olsen (NCIS: Los Angeles), Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars), Chris Messina (Devil), and Jones’ co-writer on the film, Will McCormack, among others.
One thing that critics seem on agree so far (with respect to Celeste and Jesse Forever) is that Jones and Samberg have excellent screen chemistry. Furthermore, even though the trailer attempts to play the film up as a mix of tender romance and playful comedy (with mixed results, in this writer’s opinion), early consensus is that the movie really does fall more on the dramatic side; and although Celeste and Jesse may not be completely successful in its attempts to avoid being pigeonholed as just another “indie” rom-com, it earns kudos for effort.
Taking all that into consideration: it sounds as though Celeste and Jesse Forever actually offers a refreshingly mature examination of a problem many modern couples end up facing eventually – with Jones and Samberg serving as the glue that holds the whole venture together. That alone could make this flick worth a look, especially for those who’re ready for a change of pace after three months’ worth of big-budget releases.
Celeste and Jesse Forever hits theaters in the U.S. on August 3rd, 2012.
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