KISSING JESSICA STEIN (2002) **

Reviewed 3/14/02

After too many disappointing experiences with men, two straight Manhattanite women meet through a personals ad and experiment with lesbianism.   Not quite as funny as it thinks it is, but the cast almost makes it worthwhile.  Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Jurgensen, who also wrote the script, are just fine as the new lovers, Jessica and Helen, but Torah Feldshuh and Jackie Hoffman steal the show.  Playing a stereotypical Jewish mom, Feldshuh manages to transcend the stereotype (just barely), and Hoffman’s energy is just infectious.  On the negative side, the film is awfully lit and has erratic pacing, a “she opens herself to the joys of life” subplot is really icky and poorly thought out, and what all these people see in Jessica is never clear.