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CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVERMovie Reviews
Comedy drama about a divorcing couple who try to maintain their close friendship while they both pursue other people. Cast:Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Chris Messina, Ari Graynor, Emma Roberts, Elijah Wood, Eric Christian OlsenDirector:Lee Toland KriegerRelease Date:August 3, 2012DVD Release:February 5, 2013From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr 29 min
FEBRUARY 5, 2013
Celeste and Jesse Forever, Good Reviews, Mixed Key Cities
Celeste and Jesse Forever played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "...benefits from a sound screenplay by Jones and McCormack, who write dialogue and create supporting characters who don't seem like air-headed plot puppets..." • And Connie Ogle wrote in the Miami Herald, "...erratic. Sometimes it feels like an overgrown sketch..." More Reviews Below...
Celeste and Jesse Forever Positive Reviews (45 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...nearly works.... Andy Samberg shows depth as artist Jesse... Too bad the film turns smart Celeste into a cliché fool: boozy and embarrassing."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 38 words, 08/02/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "It feels very truthful in its gray areas... in depicting the contradiction between the need to move on to something new and the desire to cling to something safe."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 08/02/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...bounces along with nimble invention.... it's been a while since a romantic comedy mustered this much charm by looking this much like life."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 08/03/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "What really lifts the film above the rom-com herd, besides breakout star performances from Jones and Samberg, is its willingness to replace clichés with painful truths."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 08/03/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "...delves into the complicated heart of relationships, exposes some painful truths and allows melancholy to co-exist alongside breezy humor."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 404 words, 08/03/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...benefits from a sound screenplay by Jones and McCormack, who write dialogue and create supporting characters who don't seem like air-headed plot puppets..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 08/10/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "Lee Toland Krieger has a nice sense of how to shape a scene... we never feel out of the loop or unengaged by Celeste and Jesse's natures and characters..."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 07/31/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie has no villains and that's a huge plus. We're not forced to dislike certain characters because their sole purpose is to mess up the central love story."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 806 words, 08/15/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...wistful... expresses an ideal rarely seen in American movies: a man and woman whose equality is burnished in friendship, not just in bed and marriage."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 762 words, 08/03/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...aside from a final act of courage, the filmmakers surround them with a movie their characters would, in all likelihood, never bother to see."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 303 words, 08/03/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...breezy, ironic... delivers an affectionate and intelligent look at how even the closest couples can find that breaking up is so very hard to do."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 08/03/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...often seems to have been designed by a screenplay-writing computer program.... Jones' tart performance cuts through the saccharine."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 423 words, 08/03/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...has a conventional fake-documentary look, but underneath it is an honest concern about how to learn to treat people well and kindly after the end."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 08/10/12
John Anderson, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "Jones is a talent, and an easy-to-take screen presence, but watching 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' gives you the feeling someone's trying to put something over on you."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 287 words, 08/17/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: FAIR "...a seriously trying comedy... scene after scene ends on the same irresolute note -- but without the small, cumulative details that make the best mumblecore penetrating."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 186 words, 07/30/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...benefits from a sound screenplay by Jones and McCormack, who write dialogue and create supporting characters who don't seem like air-headed plot puppets..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 565 words, 08/10/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...stereotypes are trotted out so that the movie can wink that it's too smart for them... director Lee Toland Krieger turns the subjectivity knob up to 11..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 08/01/12
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Despite a script that occasionally meanders, this is a film, featuring a strong female protagonist, that has something smart to say about modern relationships..."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 08/03/12
Kate Taylor, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "Fact is relationships can be messy and complicated and counter-intuitive and unromantic, but trying to turn that insight into a rom-com is a mistake."(See all of Kate Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 08/03/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Jones is simply terrific as a conflicted, confused young woman just beginning to realize she isn't as okay with moving on as she first thought."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 08/02/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...engages in Bridget Jones-like comedy of mortification, sending its heroine down a path of self-discovery that ultimately seems more cruel than revelatory."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 08/10/12
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...sly, offbeat... how delightfully funny Jones is... Samberg is likewise surprising... a sneakily funny character study..."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 08/17/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "Jones and Samberg are an agreeable pair, but nothing about Celeste or Jesse would make you want to spend an evening with them, much less eternity."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 08/17/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "...neither Celeste nor Jesse is capable of letting go.... the characters are impossibly beautiful and hip, but beyond that, they seem real."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 08/17/12
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the movie feels lived in by its characters and its makers... Rashida Jones can't be faulted for writing what she knows. I just hope she knows more her next time out."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 673 words, 08/17/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Jones has been a solid supporting presence in plenty of TV and a number of films for years.... Turns out she's a decent writer, too."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 08/03/12
David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...populated by moments that at first appear all too familiar, then turn out to surprise you.... has a voice of its own."(See all of David Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 08/10/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a different kind of romantic comedy... You realize, midway through the movie, that this couple has snuck up on you -- that you want them to be happy."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 323 words, 08/24/12
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Well-intentioned but underdeveloped and self-satisfied... feels at times like the ultimate movie for the millennial generation, or at least its stereotype."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 261 words, 08/24/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "To its credit, 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' wants to be more than a formulaic farce. It succeeds to the extent that the neighbors keep up with Jones."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 08/31/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: FAIR(cg) "If you prefer hipster romantic comedies that are unromantic and not too funny, Lee Toland Krieger's movie may be your grande half-caf caramel mocha frappe."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 395 words, 08/30/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...feels completely real, and each character is likable while also flawed and vulnerable. This is a film about moving on, growing up, letting go. But hopefully staying in like."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 293 words, 08/31/12
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...stereotypes are trotted out so that the movie can wink that it's too smart for them... director Lee Toland Krieger turns the subjectivity knob up to 11..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 08/01/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...fucked-up and funny and endearing... it took two actors who've played all the bad roles out there to finally create one for Rashida Jones that's this good."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 01/21/12
Jake Mulligan, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "What's unfortunate is that the sub-Apatow set pieces (one subplot ends up being an overlong setup for a masturbation joke) throw the film's tone off balance irrevocably."(See all of Jake Mulligan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 164 words, 08/16/12
Noel Murray, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...while 'Celeste And Jesse' marks Jones as ready to make the leap from TV to film, it also shows that she maybe shouldn't be her own screenwriter.... bland... contrived..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 01/21/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "...very briefly, the film shifts from gallumphy physical comedy to slightly subtler performances of evolving fears and rudimentary insights."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 904 words, 08/03/12
Alison Willmore, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "...creates a handful of likable and very human characters... you want the film to stop putting them through the emotional wringer so that you can just spend time with them."(See all of Alison Willmore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 869 words, 08/02/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an honest and breezily melancholic film, thoroughly clear-sighted in its intentions and ideas and bravely committed to the emotional rigors of its central relationship."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 07/29/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "Jones is simply terrific as a conflicted, confused young woman just beginning to realize she isn't as okay with moving on as she first thought."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 08/02/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...the camera stays too close while they generate clouds of talk, with no respite from cleverness... The movie plays like a Facebook page..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 08/03/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...wistful... expresses an ideal rarely seen in American movies: a man and woman whose equality is burnished in friendship, not just in bed and marriage."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 762 words, 08/03/12
Stephanie Zacharek, NPR: VERY GOOD "...highly imperfect... but it still represents a breakthrough of sorts, a way of looking at marriage that resists portraying a 'failed' marriage as a failure."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 08/02/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...breezy, ironic... delivers an affectionate and intelligent look at how even the closest couples can find that breaking up is so very hard to do."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 08/03/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Glibly amusing and fitfully perceptive... earns points for bucking formula, but its fusion of snark and sincerity has a calculated slickness that rings increasingly hollow."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 01/21/12
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...bittersweet.... Jones is great in the part, even if this movie doesn't quite prove she should be carrying films on her own..."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 01/21/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...breezy, ironic... delivers an affectionate and intelligent look at how even the closest couples can find that breaking up is so very hard to do."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 709 words, 08/03/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...wistful... expresses an ideal rarely seen in American movies: a man and woman whose equality is burnished in friendship, not just in bed and marriage."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 762 words, 08/03/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...the camera stays too close while they generate clouds of talk, with no respite from cleverness... The movie plays like a Facebook page..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 08/03/12
19.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Celeste and Jesse Forever's reviews are separated by an average 19.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Celeste and Jesse Forever (45 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Celeste and Jesse Forever's reviews cover 92.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 20,540 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 456 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Celeste and Jesse Forever's reviews on average broke 4 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Celeste and Jesse Forever's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Celeste and Jesse Forever (45 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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