This last weekend, I rented the DVD of the film "Kissing Jessica Stein" and found it to be a delightful and innovative film about human relationships.

The 2001 film "Kissing Jessica Stein" was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen and features Westfeldt and Juergensen as the main characters. I was interested in seeing this film because I read a featured review of it on IMDB <http://www.imdb.com/> which praised the film's use of Manhattan scenery and witty older-Woody-Allenesque humor. It compared Westfeldt and Juergensen's making this film to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck writing and starring in "Good Will Hunting".

In the film Westfeldt plays Jessica Stein, a New York City journalist who can't find a man. A scene close to the beginning of the film shows Stein going out with several different men who all turn her off with some annoying aspect of their dinner conversations. This scene features an accountant who figures Jessica's portion of the bill to the penny, a writer who unknowingly specializes in malapropisms ("I'm just self-defecating."), and the too-smooth talking man who can't say anything without including a cheesy innuendo-ladden cliché.

Jessica gets criticism from her family, friends, and coworkers for being so discriminating and critical of men she dates. By this point, we get the picture that Jessica is a lonely woman. It also doesn't help that she just found out her brother is getting married and that her best friend from work is pregnant.

Trying to help Jessica out one day, a couple coworkers are reading personal ads to her and run across an ad featuring a verse of Rainer Maria Rilke poetry. Jessica's coworkers scoff at the ad, but knowing Jessica is a fan of Rilke they read on. Then, they are dismayed to discover at the bottom of the advertisement it was placed by a woman seeking a woman.

We find out shortly thereafter Jessica followed up and called on the ad and agrees to meet Helen (played by Juergensen) at a bar.

Helen represents the seamy side of New York art culture. She manages an art gallery, is involved in a relationship with a married man while seeing two other men on the side. She's a very sexual woman and wants to try everything once. That's what prompted her to place the personal ad.

When Helen and Jessica meet, Jessica gets cold feet immediately, insists it was a mistake and apologizes for wasting Helen's time. Helen persuades Jessica to just have a drink with her. As they talk, they "click" and become good friends. Jessica is happy to discover Helen isn't a lesbian, but rather bi-curious like herself.

From there, we see Helen and Jessica explore this same-sex relationship. Jessica isn't comfortable letting anyone else in her life know about her girlfriend and after a while, that starts to bother Helen. This is the conflict of the story.

Some of the reviews I've read for Kissing Jessica Stein criticized it for giving up and not being "queer-positive" enough. I think these reviewers missed the point. In the end, this is not a film about sexuality. It's about taking risks in life and finding creative inspiration by thinking outside the box. Jessica's same-sex venture was a leap for the conservative jew she was. In tne end, she learned many things about herself and it helper her find direction in her life.

So... good film.

IMDB Entry: <http://us.imdb.com/Title?0264761>

Official site: <http://www.foxsearchlight.com/kissingjessicastein/>