Celeste and Jesse Forever
Melancholy rom-com about a married couple (Andy Samberg and co-writer Rashida Jones) who split and remain best friends. But their seemingly reasonable decision brews longing emotions...
Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Samberg) married young but grew apart. Now 30, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm while Jesse is unemployed and in no particular rush to do anything with his life. Convinced that divorcing Jesse is the right thing to do, Celeste makes the call. But as the reality of their separation sets in and Jesse finds a new lover, Celeste begins to see her decision, which seemed mature and progressive at the time, as impulsive and selfish.
- Director:
- Lee Toland Krieger ('The Vicious Kind', 'December Ends')
- Writer:
- Rashida JonesWill McCormack
- Cast:
- Andy SambergRashida JonesElijah WoodEmma RobertsEric Christian OlsenJanel ParrishAri GraynorRich Sommer
Reviews & comments
Variety
pressEarns points for bucking formula, but its fusion of snark and sincerity has a calculated slickness that rings increasingly hollow.
Total Film
pressThis honest, if not funny, comedy is all about Celeste. If anyone can make you sympathise with affluent LA yuppies, Rashida Jones can.
Time Out
pressJones writes herself a couple of powerful scenes and plays them well, but she and director Lee Toland Krieger don't find many memorable uses for Samberg as her blandly schlubby hubby.
The New York Times
pressDecidedly conventional in most respects, it's pretty swell as an exploration of a relationship between a man and a woman that's no longer predicated by mutual desire.
The Guardian
pressSome nice moments, but it's unbearably self-conscious and nowhere does it resemble real life.
Rolling Stone
pressWhat really lifts Celeste and Jesse Forever above the rom-com herd, besides breakout star performances from Jones and Samberg, is the movie's willingness to replace clichés with painful truths. It's irresistible.
Roger Ebert
pressI'm not surprised that Rashida Jones took the lead in writing this screenplay; the way things are going now, if an actress doesn't write a good role for herself, no one else is going to write one.
Los Angeles Times
pressDelivers an affectionate and intelligent look at how even the closest couples can find that breaking up is so very hard to do.
Little White Lies
pressCharming and not without its moments, but far too conventional to capture the complexity it strives for.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack's script contains enough sharp humour for every character to share around (even if the supporting characters take more for themselves), but Celeste and Jesse Forever's two lead characters are too self-absorbed and unlikeable for us to feel any sympathy. It is filmed in a slick, modern style for an extremely modest budget,...
Variety
pressEarns points for bucking formula, but its fusion of snark and sincerity has a calculated slickness that rings increasingly hollow.
Total Film
pressThis honest, if not funny, comedy is all about Celeste. If anyone can make you sympathise with affluent LA yuppies, Rashida Jones can.
Time Out
pressJones writes herself a couple of powerful scenes and plays them well, but she and director Lee Toland Krieger don't find many memorable uses for Samberg as her blandly schlubby hubby.
The New York Times
pressDecidedly conventional in most respects, it's pretty swell as an exploration of a relationship between a man and a woman that's no longer predicated by mutual desire.
The Guardian
pressSome nice moments, but it's unbearably self-conscious and nowhere does it resemble real life.
Rolling Stone
pressWhat really lifts Celeste and Jesse Forever above the rom-com herd, besides breakout star performances from Jones and Samberg, is the movie's willingness to replace clichés with painful truths. It's irresistible.
Roger Ebert
pressI'm not surprised that Rashida Jones took the lead in writing this screenplay; the way things are going now, if an actress doesn't write a good role for herself, no one else is going to write one.
Los Angeles Times
pressDelivers an affectionate and intelligent look at how even the closest couples can find that breaking up is so very hard to do.
Little White Lies
pressCharming and not without its moments, but far too conventional to capture the complexity it strives for.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack's script contains enough sharp humour for every character to share around (even if the supporting characters take more for themselves), but Celeste and Jesse Forever's two lead characters are too self-absorbed and unlikeable for us to feel any sympathy. It is filmed in a slick, modern style for an extremely modest budget,...
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