Celeste and Jesse Forever

Celeste and Jesse Forever is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lee Toland Krieger. It stars Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg, and was written by Jones and Will McCormack, who also has a role in the film. It was released on August 3, 2012, in New York City and Los Angeles.[5]

Celeste and Jesse Forever
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLee Toland Krieger
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Music by
  • Sunny Levine
  • Zach Cowie
CinematographyDavid Lanzenberg
Edited byYana Gorskaya
Production
companies
  • Envision Media Arts
  • Team Todd
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release date
  • January 20, 2012 (2012-01-20) (Sundance)
  • August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03) (United States)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$840,000[2][3]
Box office$3.6 million[4]

Plot

Celeste and Jesse start dating in high school and eventually marry young. Their relationship is shown in a photo montage; the montage ends with Celeste walking away from Jesse during a party.

Celeste and Jesse still get along well. Celeste is a successful trend analyzer and runs her own media company with her partner, Scott. Celeste's media company has recently signed Riley Banks, a teenage pop star whom Celeste does not respect and had openly bashed during a previous television interview. Jesse is an unemployed artist in no hurry to find a job.

Celeste decides to separate but promises to stay friends and date other people. Jesse passively agrees, still in love with her and hoping for her to come back around. Celeste and Jesse's continuing closeness after their separation and in the process of divorcing becomes increasingly annoying to their mutual, engaged best friends, Beth and Tucker. Beth tries to reason with Celeste and Jesse about the odd nature of their arrangement, but Celeste rationalizes that it is better for the two to maintain their friendship. Their other mutual friend, Skillz, agrees that it is time for the two to move on with their lives.

Celeste is initially content with her current situation until they spend a night together. Realizing that a reconciliation is not possible, Jesse finally decides to move out while ignoring Celeste's apologies. One day, Jesse announces that his new girlfriend, Veronica, is pregnant, which does not sit well with Celeste. She expresses her concern to Beth, who questions her about having second thoughts with the divorce. To distract herself, Celeste takes up exercising and dates other people.

During her date with Max, Celeste runs into Jesse. The encounter becomes awkward for Celeste, but not for Max who gets along with Jesse. Having gone through his own divorce, Max then confronts Celeste that she is not ready to be dating again and to take her time. After a few more awkward dates with other men, Celeste meets Paul in yoga class and dresses him down for trying to hit on her, before eventually warming up to him after meeting him again at a party. Jesse takes on more responsibility for Veronica and matures along the way. Celeste realizes that her decision to divorce Jesse was impulsive and selfish, and wants to reunite with him. They then fight and go their separate ways on bad terms.

Celeste later gets a call from Riley asking her to come over. Celeste believes that Riley is angry over the logo she designed for her that unintentionally resembles a penis penetrating a butt, which sparks controversy with her tween fanbase. She arrives at Riley's house to find her in tears. Riley reveals that she has had a secret boyfriend, who she discovered has been cheating on her. They form an unexpected bond over their shared heartbreak and become friends. At a nightclub with Riley, Celeste realizes the logo appeals to Riley's gay fanbase, and they could leverage this to make her the next Lady Gaga. While walking with Riley, Celeste runs into Rupert, a young, attractive model she had rejected after an awkward date and introduces him to Riley.

At Beth and Tucker's wedding, Celeste makes a toast. She tells the newlyweds to appreciate each other, be patient, and try harder, like she should have. This speech touches Jesse, and he thanks Celeste.

On a karaoke date, Celeste informs Paul of her need to take some time to recover from the divorce, which he says he understands. Celeste and Jesse finally sign their divorce papers and laugh at each other's inside jokes. Their lawyers look on, confused by their laughter. Celeste wishes Jesse well. She finally asks Jesse if he loves Veronica, to which he responds that he does. Celeste encourages him to keep fighting for it and they have one last kiss.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Celeste and Jesse Forever was screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in January to generally positive reviews.[6] Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a "Certified Fresh" rating of 71% based on 141 reviews with an average score of 6.36/10. The site's consensus states, "While it doesn't subvert the genre as incisively as it thinks it does, Celeste and Jesse Forever is a shrewd rom-com that benefits from its likable cast and trumpets the arrival of Rashida Jones as a bona fide big screen talent".[7] Metacritic gives the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on reviews from 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A− and concluded his review by stating: "I will say that it's been a while since a romantic comedy mustered this much charm by looking this much like life".[9] Roger Ebert was also positive in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, giving it three-and-a-half out of four stars. He credited Jones for writing a "sound" screenplay and characters with a regard for their emotions, while calling the film "a good-hearted romantic comedy about a likable couple — so likable, indeed, that it swims upstream against the current of our desires".[10]

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2013 13th Black Reel Awards Best Actress
Rashida Jones
 Nominated
Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack
 Nominated
28th Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay[11] Nominated
29th Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Low Budget Feature – Drama/Comedy
Angela Demo
 Nominated

Release

Celeste and Jesse Forever was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 5, 2013.[12]

References
  1. http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/celeste-jesse-forever-2012
  2. Zakarin, Jordan (August 1, 2012). "Celeste and Jesse Forever': Rashida Jones and Company Stick Together for a Breakup". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. Rosen, Christopher (August 5, 2012). "'Celeste And Jesse Forever': Lee Toland Krieger On Directing Rashida Jones And Andy Samberg". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  4. "Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  5. "Celeste and Jesse Forever Trailer, News, Videos, and Reviews". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  6. Kerabatsos, Theodore Donald (June 22, 2012). "Andy Samberg And Rashida Jones Are Divorced Best Buds In 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' Trailer". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  7. "Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  8. "Celeste and Jesse Forever Reviews". Metacritic.
  9. Gleiberman, Owen (August 10, 2012). "Celeste and Jesse Forever". Entertainment Weekly. p. 58.
  10. Ebert, Roger (August 8, 2012). "Celeste and Jesse Forever". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  11. "Best First Screenplay". Independent Spirit Awards. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  12. Rawden, Jessica. "Celeste And Jesse Forever Is Coming To Blu-ray In February". Cinema Blend.
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