Break-ups can be tough. Hollywood has a habit of informing us of this fact via montages of ice cream consumption, tearful movie watching, drunken scene-making and the occasional tragic wail of karaoke. Not many movies deal with the long slow scenes of trying to recapture one’s single identity, which makes Celeste and Jesse Forever stand out amongst its weepy rom-com contemporaries. 

Celeste…’s screenplay was written by Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Will McCormack, drawing from their real-life experiences of a romantic relationship-turned-working friendship.  

Celeste (played by Jones) and Jesse (SNL’s Andy Samberg) are best friends who practically live together. However, they have also been separated for six months and are due to be divorced – a situation which their friends feel must be addressed. Without giving too much away, life intervenes, situations arise and both Celeste and Jesse must finally face their feelings for one another and discover what their love really means. The film remains comedic whilst retaining the realism of the heartache of break-ups and the pain of moving on. I mean, who hasn’t sat there and accidentally flicked through pictures of the object of their affection and new sidepiece on Facebook? [blub].

Jones’and Samberg’s chemistry is both believable and endearing and you can’t help but root for things to work out between them – even just so you can see another ridiculous ‘lip-gloss scene’ between the two (did that REALLY happen?).

With a supporting cast featuring a hilarious Elijah Wood as Celeste’s sassy gay friend, McCormack appearing as a wise pot dealer and an excellent Emma Roberts as a self-involved tween-sensation popstar, the laughs are steady and appropriately timed. If you’re a die-hard romantic, this movie may not be for you. If you live in the real world with the rest of us and want to see an accurate portrayal of modern relationships, then by all means check it out when it hits theatres on August 3rd.

~ Laura Doherty