Celeste and Jesse Forever

There comes a point in life when you have a deep connection with someone who changes you completely--someone you love with all your heart, but isn't the person for you romantically.  It's a lesson--part of growing up.  Celeste and Jesse Forever is a perfect example of this lesson as the duo battle themselves and one another to fully understand just what each mean to the other.

Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Samberg) are best friends that get married young and later realize they are better suited as friends.  At first, they have difficulty letting go due to their own personal issues.  But after a tumultuous few months, they separate for good.  Each goes back and forth about how they feel for the other, saying horrible things don’t mean, all for the sake of winning an argument.

This is a feeling I’m familiar with, which made watching this movie a tad difficult. The story line paralleled my last six months of life so closely in parts that inside my head, I was able to predict what might befall these characters and when. Marked by a great performance by co-writer Rashida Jones and a surprisingly awesome dramatic performance by Andy Samberg, this was one of the most realistic love stories I’ve ever seen on the big screen.

It showcased the various degrees of love, from romantic to friendly, which is the most important and the most often overlooked aspect of any relationship. Some people aren’t lucky enough to be best friends, so if and when you do find that person, work hard to keep that friendship, that respect, that mutual love for one another, exactly as they are. The range of emotions I went through during the movie was not unlike the passionate feelings of a real relationship. The audience was right there with the characters the whole time, learning that it’s better to be happy than right. This film reminded me that love is something we constantly underestimate, and definitely one I would recommend to the twenty-somethings of the world who think they understand it.

Celeste and Jesse Forever is playing in the non-competition Premiere category.