Kissing Jessica Stein

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, Spanish
• Features:
  • cc
  • Audio commentary by director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and cinematographer Lawrence Sher
  • Audio commentary by Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt
  • Deleted scenes with optional commentary
  • Outtakes and original ending
  • Behind-the-scenes featurette
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Anamorphic widescreen (Aspect ratio 1.85:1)
  • Audio: English 5.1 Dolby surround, Spanish stereo
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Charles Herman-Wurmfeld

• Producer:

  Eden Wurmfeld, Brad Zions

• Screenwriter:

  Jennifer Westfeldt

• Play Author:

  Jennifer Westfeldt

• Screenwriter:

  Heather Juergensen

• Play Author:

  Heather Juergensen

• Cinematographer:

  Lawrence Sher

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Marcelo Zarvos, Matthew Abbott, Jim Black

• Editor:

  Jason Ensler, Kristy Jacobs Maslin, Greg Tillman, Nate Taylor

• Production Designer:

  Charlotte Bourke

• Art Director:

  Tema Levine, Natalie Dierckx

• Co-producer:

  Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen

• Associate Producer:

  Doug Liman, Steven Firestone, Mark Pincus, Eduardo Braniff, Kaye Popofsky

• Makeup:

  Sheri Kornhaber

• Special Effects:

  Inc Cineric

• First Assistant Director:

  Jeff Huston, Stewart Griffin, Scott Keiner, James Mastracco

• Sound Mixer:

  Theresa Radka

• Casting:

  Susie Farris

• Production Manager:

  Heidi Tannenbaum

• Re-Recording Mixer:

  Roberto Fernandez

• Line Producer:

  Matt Janes

• Sound Editor:

  Gerald Donlan

• Musical Performer:

  Romero Lubambo

• Sound Editor:

  Jacob Ribicoff

• Dialogue Editor:

  Dan Korintus

• Musical Performer:

  Marcelo Zarvos

• Costume/Wardrobe:

  Melissa Bruning

• Script Supervisor:

  Kate Drennen

• Unit Production Manager:

  Naomi Sablan

• Production Coordinator:

  Dana Castro

• Location Manager:

  William P. Nance, Connie Perelson

• Steadicam Operator:

  George Bianchini

• Hair Styles:

  Stephanie Resnick

• Musical Performer:

  Mary Rowell, David Cerrutti, Dorothy Lawson, Gilad

• Graphic Design:

  Mary Hawkins

• Title Design:

  Glenn McQuaid

REVIEW:

• If ever an independent comedy succeeded on the breakthrough performances of its leads, Kissing Jessica Stein is it. Following the handbook for urban lesbian romantic comedy to a tee -- right down to the sassy gay pals who populate the sidelines -- co-writers and co-stars Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen don't score any points for originality. But their familiarity with the material (the script started life as a play) allows them to fully inhabit their characters' neuroses, with often hilarious results. Westfeldt in particular conveys a halting charm that brings to mind Lisa Kudrow; she's even able to breathe new life and truth into what could have been a very trite coming-out scene. The film's Achilles heel is a sour, Chasing Amy-style ending: the sexual turnaround the characters make in the film's coda should take an hour -- not a few minutes -- of screen time if it is to be believed. After a crowd-pleasing debut at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival and a similarly successful berth at the Toronto Film Festival, Kissing Jessica Stein secured a Fox Searchlight release in 2002. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi