Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse are going through a divorce, but even though they are going through it they are still hanging out as if nothing is happening. For they are best friends which allows them to have a unique relationship that their friends do not understand, but they both agree that is ok to pursue other people. Jesse is a procrastinator and Celeste is an ever so righteous successful woman that makes the two of them incompatible but in a moment of weakness the two falls into each other’s arms. However, Celeste rejects Jesse’s affection without fully understanding the repercussions of her actions. A week later Jesse informs Celeste that he is having a baby with another girl, in this moment Celeste begins a downward spiral in her life, however, it is not until later that she asks herself whether she made the right choice. After all they have been through, can they remain best friends?

Celeste and Jesse Forever was partly written by Rashida Jones who brings a fresh new take on the romantic comedy genre which is often plagued by the same old plots and stories. Celeste and Jesse Forever asks one crucial and difficult question, can two remain best friends after being divorced? The question and answers are explored, but the fact of the matter is that there’s no simple answer. The film focuses on Celeste and the way her decisions affect her life and relationship with Jesse, the way one seemingly moment of weakness leads to days of pain and uncertainty of where her life is heading. Jones explores screenplay attempts to explore the complexity of Celeste and Jesse relationship and how they both come to peace with their new roles in life. Even though the story is quite entertaining, there are few issues, but the biggest issue is the second and third act heavily rely on clichéd themes.

I have not seen Rashida Jones on any serious roles, until now I had only seen her in comedies like The Office or recently in Parks and Recreation. The role of Celeste is a real welcomed addition to her talents. In fact, throughout the movie she managed to keep the viewers on her side, even though she clearly was the one that wanted to break the marriage and was completely “OK” with dating other people. Jones really does a good job with her character, often really displaying the lowest moments if Celeste to perfection. Director Lee Toland Krieger often switches to handheld cameras to capture the most tense and serious moments, the technique works quite well for the film. However, Celeste is an intricate character, she is so self-righteous that she fails to see the real her and Jones captures that. Andy Samberg has never been a favorite actor of mine; however, due to the amount of screen time and somewhat serious tone of the film he managed to play the part without trying to overdo it. Celeste and Jesse Forever is definitely a good entry for the romantic comedy genre and even though some parts just didn’t quite fit in the movie and some clunckiness of the screenplay, the film manages to stand on its own. It may not completely answer the questions that it set out to look for, but it gives us a glimpse into the lives of two seemingly good friends that made a mistake and lost sight of things.

Celeste and Jesse Forever arrives to Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC framed at 2.35:1. The picture is not overly bright or very dark; there is a very balanced picture. Colors are stabled throughout without being too bright. Skin tones can be overdone at times, but they often appear natural. Detailing is appropriate to the image, the picture is well balanced that we often see some good details on objects. The picture is not on the soft side so that’s a good thing. Darker scenes tend to suffer much more than bright scenes. The picture does have some grain due to the way it was shot; they are more noticeable during the darker scenes. Overall, Celeste and Jesse Forever looks as good as it could be.

Celeste and Jesse Forever arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless audio track. The film is dialogue driven so the track will definitely not put your system to work. The dialogue is clean and clear throughout. The fronts often deliver with good accuracy and directionality. The rears aren’t often used, but there are a few scenes that feature groups of people that feature some discrete sounds coming from the surrounds, but those are far too few. However, the track does excel when it comes to reproducing the fine soundtrack included in the film. Celeste and Jesse Forever features a track that does everything it needs

Audio Commentary – This track features Rashida Jones, Will Cormack, and Lee Toland.

Audio Commentary – This track features Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones.

The Making of Celeste and Jesse Forever

On the Red Carpet: Premiere and Q&A

Outtakes

Deleted Scenes

Celeste and Jesse Forever is a good entry to the romantic comedy genre and certainly fans of this genre will definitely enjoy it. The film deals with real themes that people often deal with. Even though the film stands on its own, there are some questionable decisions in its direction. Celeste and Jesse features a good cast and a decent story. The Blu-ray offers good audio and video and a nice set of supplements.