The Details

Celeste & Jesse Forever

Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Ari Graynor. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger.

Rated R.

Beyond the Weekly

Official Movie Site

IMDb: Celeste & Jesse Forever

Rotten Tomatoes: Celeste & Jesse Forever

Although it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and is getting a small-scale theatrical release, Celeste & Jesse Forever often feels like a mainstream romantic comedy awkwardly stuffed into a low-key indie dramedy. Stars Rashida Jones (who also co-wrote the screenplay) and Andy Samberg have plenty of experience playing broad comedy, and flashes of that goofiness come through in their generally down-to-earth performances as a divorcing couple having trouble letting go of their connection to one another. The movie is sometimes quite funny and sometimes quite affecting, but almost never at the same time, and those pieces don’t fit together as well as they should. There are some moments of raw emotional truth, especially as Jones’ Celeste learns what it means to truly move on, although there are just as many moments of strained humor and forced quirkiness. Like its main characters, the movie has difficulty committing to one pathway and then following through.