Romantic couples in film tend to go one of three ways: they either form; form, break up, then get back together; or form, break up, and never repair the bond. Trials and tribulations are common in all amorous relationships, but they all arrive at a variation of outcomes, whether they are in a comedy or a drama.
In one case, however, the rules of being together become a little more complicated, and even broken, as we look at the love lives of Celeste Martin and Jesse Abrams. In director Lee Toland Krieger's unconventional dramedy, Celeste and Jesse Forever, he navigates the pleasures and awkwardness of a couple that is on the verge of divorce, but still unable to separate. It's a romance that looks at a love that turns from that of a boyfriend and girlfriend to that of two really good friends.
Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) are best friends who love spending every minute together, even though they are on the verge of getting a divorce. Celeste has a successful job running her own media company, and Jesse is an unemployed artist who isn't rushing to find a job. They have their differences on their outlooks for the future, but are still very close. As the two begin to date other people and take on new responsibilities, moving on from their past relationship might be harder and more emotional than they anticipated.
Jones and Samberg each turn in the type of screen performance that is always miraculous to watch: a comedic actor and actress who effortlessly sink into a dramatic role, against the type that is their norm. While they make a charming pair of friends, their emotional relationship is hindered by both of their destructive faults. Celeste has a habit of being judgmental, criticizing current pop culture trends in her television show and new book, and disapproving her boyfriend's slacker lifestyle. Jesse is a stay-at-home boyfriend without much ambition. Both actors are able to tone down their humorous sides, which makes their plight all the more realistic as they both try to adjust to their lives in the middle of the divorce process. What's pleasant about their characters is, at times, they make each other laugh as a way to express themselves as casual friends, despite the current circumstances.
Ari Graynor is very funny as Celeste's brutally-honest friend Beth. She says what's on her mind no matter what, and reflects the audience's view on Celeste and Jesse's relationship in a memorable dinner scene where she expresses her utter confusion as to why they are acting like everything is normal in their lives.
While the screenplay by Jones and Will McCormack does rely on the typicality of the successful-girlfriend-lazy-boyfriend formula, the story is elevated by the honest performances of Jones and Samberg acting like an actual couple. It's not a story about two people trying to get back together, but is, rather, about two people trying to stay together as friends while attempting to sever their romantic ties. Because it's a film about a couple trying to get by without each other, it's difficult to tell whether or not they will stay together, and that, thankfully, takes away a lot of the predictability of the story's conclusion.
A love story about a separation could have posed as a challenge to create, but director Lee Toland Krieger succeeds in making this film tender and genuine without making it sappy. Celeste and Jesse Forever is an original view of how two people can still have the potential to love each other, even after ending a relationship. Whoever thought breaking up could be this romantic?
Final grade: A-
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