Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Celeste & Jesse begins in a heartwarming montage of a sweet loving couple, and though small details betray the true state of the situation between them, the moment when their status as separated is revealed is still shocking enough to throw you into a spiral of anger. It is so rare to find a true friend, someone who completely on board with your crazy little jokes and thoughts, someone who is fun to goof around with and also has a big warm heart full of love for you, it is a golden ticket, nothing in the world should be able to take it away from you, unless of course, you can't see it while you have it.It is not even clear from the beginning who is to blame for the obvious crime against true love, both Celeste and Jesse seem genuinely in love with each other and yet absolutely comfortable with their new relationship status, but soon it becomes clear that Jesse is the one being dragged behind with Celeste keeping herself cozy with him by her side, while being sure that she needs someone better.And then, of course, Jesse finds a way to move on. But it is neither a happy nor a successful separation, Jesse is thrown into the extreme commitment of parenthood, with a woman who though interesting to him, by his own words "is not Celeste". Throughout the film, Jesse is torn between his wish to move on with his life, and the obvious fact that Celeste is his lifelong love and friend. Celeste, on her end, realizes the depth of her mistake, and how far beyond repair the situation went.The film ends with a sort of reconciliation, Jesse and Celeste cannot be away from each other and try to make the friendship thing work, and Celeste feels ready to move on herself. But the truth is, even at the very end of the film, this couple shows such a strong longing for each other that it is absolutely heartbreaking. Both will move on with their lives, and perhaps their friendship will cool down as they learn to love and cherish the quirks and charms of another person, but something truly unique and incredible was lost, something that can never be mended. For some, the film's ending can seem bitter-sweet, to me it was very heavy on the bitter.It is a cautionary tale. At a time when new models of new things pop left and right and everything moves forward in excruciating pace, patience runs thin and it is easy to forget that relationship is about hard work and constant care, and that love is nothing to be taken for granted.

The short story: I liked this film. The longer story is I'm not sure exactly what you'd call this movie. Honestly I had never heard of it before finding it in the $5 bin, but I like Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg (the leads) and the premise seemed interesting, essentially a separated married couple who are still best friends and do everything together, it just didn't work out to be married. There are funny parts, but not enough to label it a comedy or rom-com, and certainly drama, but not enough to be considered dramatic. It's not even really a love story. And it's no action-packed special-effects-laden blockbuster. I guess what it is is a decent, down-to-earth story (from Hollywood - I KNOW) about real-type characters in realistic situations that viewers can relate to with a decent cast, even pacing and with a sensible ending. Definitely worth a look. 7/10

. . . to rise to the level of a great "RomCom," such as ANNIE HALL. Even if you restrict comparisons to the sub-genre of "Sweet & Sour RomComs," CELESTE & JESSE cannot touch (500) DAYS OF SUMM3R, primarily because there is little chemistry or plausibility at any point between the title characters, played by Rashida Jones (who also co-wrote this flick) and Andy Samberg. While Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas were able to add some pizazz to their break-up movie--THE WAR OF THE ROSES--through trapeze work on the family chandelier, there is no evidence of any CGI efforts to enhance CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER. For people who watch fictional shows on television, perhaps this dud would be their cup of tea, as I understand one or both of the leads is experienced and known on the small screen medium. (I learned this fact from a newspaper story I read AFTER seeing CELESTE & JESSE in the multiplex.) However, those expecting the acting, writing, and humor quality of the Julie Delpy-Ethan Hawke SUNSET trilogy from CELESTE & JESSE will be in for a grim disappointment here. Movie goers should NOT be required to memorize the name of EVERY minor league TV personality in order NOT to be sucked in to wasting their admission money on something equivalent to a 1970s VHS tape projected onto the $10-a-ticket big screen. There MUST be an asterisk and accompanying disclaimer for offerings such as CELESTE & JESSE, saying something like "If you want to spend 90 minutes with material below the quality of a rejected TV sitcom pilot without a laugh track, then go ahead and pay for this movie; otherwise, STAY AWAY!"

Rashida Jones & Andy Samberg are Celeste & Jesse. They are best friends who are getting divorced, except they want to stay friend.Ari Graynor & Eric Christian Olsen are their best friends Beth & Tucker who are getting married. They can't understand Celeste & Jesse's relationship. "It's weird." For most of this movie, everybody is annoying. Celeste is a know-it-all. Jesse is a slacker loser. The people they meet are all douche-bags and drug dealers, both friends & strangers. It is a whole hour of HELL watching this movie full of annoying self obsessed people.Emma Roberts is a pop princess Riley client of Celeste. At the beginning, she is yet another annoying character in the movie. However her character turns it around. She calls Celeste on her arrogance, "Contempt prior to investigation". This breaks Celeste down to her core, and she spirals down. Until Riley comes to her rescue again, this time commiserating over failed relationships.Riley is truly the big emotional catalyst. Only she needed to save this movie earlier. The "Contempt..." line comes 1 hour into the movie. Before that, it was stuck in emotional neutral. That's way too long.