Celeste & Jesse Forever

Today I saw Celeste & Jesse Forever, starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg.

They're not your average divorcing couple—Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Samberg) still live on the same property, still go out with friends together and still say "I love you" at the end of each night.

So what's wrong with that? Well, it annoys their friends and keeps the pair from moving on to other people (and signing those every-so-important legal papers). Like the end of any relationship, a major catalyst is needed and this couple gets one, though it's a surprise to both.

How they handle it is very gender stereotypical: Celeste cries a lot, eats a lot, gets publicly drunk and asks friends how Jesse is doing. Jesse finds comfort in intimacy, avoids confrontation and goes on with his life.

The man accepts things as they are (even if he's not 100 percent happy) and the woman can't let it go.

Instead of being bitter about this portrayal, I chose to go with it and was satisfied all the more for doing so. Without over-romanticizing things, Jones and co-writer Will McCormack draw the characters away from a film-friendly unreality and thrust them into human reactions and behaviors.

Although it wasn't as happy as I may have hoped it would be, it was refreshingly authentic, and the two leads did a wonderful job of communicating both their joy and pain.

If more movies were this honest, perhaps none of us would have ridiculous delusions of grandeur in our love lives.

~~~

I Love You, Man

Yesterday I saw I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal.

We all know men like realtor Peter Klaven (Rudd): good looking, well-groomed, straight guys who surround themselves with armies of female friends, but lack severely in the 'dude' department.

We also know men like Sydney Fife (Segal): fun-loving, independent bachelors who are left behind after all of their buddies graduate into marriage and fatherhood.

What a genius idea to bring these two characters together.

The stage is set with Peter, madly in love with Zooey (Rashida Jones), proposing to her in a romantic city setting. She excitedly accepts his proposal and the wedding plans are thrust into motion. The only small problem is that she has several attendants and he doesn't even have a best man.

So...he tries to find one, by going on "man-dates" with random guys he's set up with by family and friends (Jane Curtain is a great cast bonus as his mom). After many comical attempts, his best man soul mate appears at one of his open houses (when he's "not looking" as true love usually appears) and changes everything.

Instead of Peter's world revolving around Zooey, it begins to revolve around Sydney, because he's never enjoyed such a friendship before. While she's happy for him at first, of course jealousy does eventually set in and both relationships are put in jeopardy.

Aside from a few unnecessary "gross" scenes involving vomit and a dog relieving itself, this was a very refreshing, cute movie with a host of appealing characters.

Rashida Jones shines as the likable finance, Jon Favreau is hilarious as an angry husband of one of Zooey's friends, and Andy Samburg plays the groom's openly gay brother in a realistic, non-stereotypical way.

If you need a laugh, check it out.