Blu-ray Review: Kissing Jessica Stein

I was excited to receive Kissing Jessica Stein in the mail, because it has a great cast and it's a movie from 2001 that I hadn't previously seen. A young Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends with Kids) stars, but you'll notice other random actors pop up in cameos, too: Jon Hamm (who also stars in Friends with Kids with Jennifer), Stuart from Big Bang Theory, and others.

Official synopsis:
Kissing Jessica Stein Blu-ray reviewSex and the single girl gets a fresh new spin in this "very funny movie"! (Joel Siegel, Good Morning America) Fed up with her fruitless search for "Mr. Right" and tired of blind dates from hell, attractive journalist Jessica Stein whimsically responds to a classified ad - from Helen! Making and breaking new rules of dating as they go, the two women muddle through an earnest but hilarious courtship that blurs the lines between friendship and romantic love in this "smashing romantic comedy" (Rolling Stone)

This movie has been touted as similar to Sex and the City, one of my favorite TV shows, so I was curious to see how it measured up. Jessica Stein is sick of dating men, and decides to respond to a classified ad in the paper about a woman, Helen (Heather Juergensen, The Haunted Mansion) who is seeking a companion. What she doesn't know is that Helen is normally straight and dates guys, as well, and is looking for a change of pace.


The first part of the movie is hilariously awkward at times, and it's fun to see NYC on the big screen as well. It slows down a bit after that, but it's interesting to see how Jessica and Helen try to make their relationship work, and how Jessica wants to keep it super secret at first. 

The ending was a bit abrupt for me, which may lower its "star rating" in my book, but I'd still overall recommend this movie for those who like "chick flicks" and TV shows like Sex and the City.

The Blu-ray has a few special features, including audio commentary by the director and cinematographer, audio commentary by Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt (who also co-wrote this film), deleted scenes, outtakes and the original ending, the theatrical trailer, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. I was able to watch the featurette, and it's interesting to see Juergensen and Westfeldt's rationales on why they chose shooting locations and how the movie came to fruition.

Kissing Jessica Stein is rated R with a runtime of 97 minutes, and you can purchase it here. 3 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I received a copy of the movie on Blu-ray for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

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