KISSING JESSICA STEIN

Year: 2001
USA: Fox Searchlight
UK: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, Scott Cohen, Jackie Hoffman, Michael Mastro, Carson Elrod, Tovah Feldshuh, Sebastian Carson Elrod, David Aaron Baker, Jon Hamm, Robert Ari, Esther Wurmfeld, Jennifer Carta, Hillel Friedman, Brian Stepanek, Nick Corley, John Cariani, Christopher Berger, Hayden Adams, Kevin Sussman, Jim J Bullock, Alysia Reiner, Tibor Feldman, Michael Showalter, Michael Ealy, Allen Fitzpatrick, Julie Lauren, Jimmy Palumbo, Thomas Bolster, Peter Hirsch, Vinnie Vella, Idina Menzel, Adele Reichman, Amy Wilson, Ilana Levine, Ben Weber, Ben Feldma, Naomi Sablan
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Country: USA
USA: 94 mins
UK: 96 mins
USA Rated: R for sexual content and language
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language and sexual references
USA Release Date: 13 March 2002 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 21 June 2002


Synopsis

KISSING JESSICA STEIN is a laugh-out-loud comedy with a fresh take on sex and the single girl. When we first meet Jessica (Jennifer Westfeldt) - a sensitive but neurotic New York journalist - she is at the end of her emotional rope. Her brother's engaged, her best friend's pregnant, her mother's on her case, she hasn't had a decent date in a year, and if that weren't enough...she's got insomnia.

After a dating spree from hell, she happens upon an intriguing personal ad, whose only drawback is that it's in the 'women seeking women' section. On a daring whim, she answers it and meets funky downtown hipster Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen). To Jessica's surprise, they click instantly. Their evening of banter and heated debate culminates in a kiss that confounds and intrigues even the reluctant Jessica. With conventional gender roles absent, the two women proceed to muddle through an earnest, but hilarious courtship, making up the rules as they go along.

Along with Jessica's overbearing Jewish mother (Tovah Feldshuh) to contend with, her interfering boss who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend, and her intrigued best friend to keep quiet, Jessica has to juggle her gay relationship with her otherwise straight life. But with Helen wanting to go further, a confused Jessica has to decide what she really wants.

KISSING JESSICA STEIN has won numerous awards including "Best Feature Film" and "Jury Award for Acting and Writing" at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and the "Audience Choice Favourite" at the Chicago Film Festival. Written by Westfeldt and Jurgenson, and directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (MTV).

DVD EXTRAS

DVD / Video Feature Running Time: 92 minutes
Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85 (Wide-screen 16x9)
Sound & Picture Quality: Dolby 5.1/DTS
Subtitles: for the hearing impaired, Hebrew

DVD Special Features:
Feature commentary by director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Feature commentary by cinematographer Lawrence Sher
Feature commentary by Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt
10 deleted scenes
Featurette
Soundtrack Album Promo

VHS Special Features:
10 Deleted Scenes
Featurette