Butler's Cinema Scene

“CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER” My rating: C (Opens Aug. 31 at the Glenwood Red Bridge, Town Center 20 and Studio 30 )

91 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Despite some laughs and the presence of the ever-amusing Andy Samberg, “Celeste & Jesse Forever” is not a comedy.

Rather, it is a sincere attempt to analyze the breakup of a marriage. It raises some interesting points.

Unfortunately, it delivers them in a repetitive and not-very-engrossing way.

We meet the titular characters (Rashida Jones, who co-wrote the screenplay, and Samberg) driving to meet friends for dinner. They appear to be a perfect couple, keyed in to each other’s emotions, sharing little private games.

It’s only when they sit down with their pals that we realize that Celeste and Jesse have been separated for several months in anticipation of a divorce. But they still feel like a couple. In fact Jesse now lives in the garage/studio behind Celeste’s house.

This setup creeps out their friends as unnatural. But for C and J it’s the ideal, civilized, non-acrimonious breakup, one that doesn’t force their acquaintances to side with one or the other partner.

Emma Roberts

The split was Celeste’s idea. She’s a go-getter who co-owns a marketing firm. Jesse, loveable doofus that he is, is a laid-back  “artist” who never seems to produce any art. As Celeste notes, he doesn’t even own a car. She needs to find someone who reflects her own ambitions.

The screenplay by Jones and her ex, actor Will McCormack (who takes a supporting role), works in a switcheroo. Initially it’s Jesse who wants to keep the relationship going. But when he gets serious about another woman, Celeste realizes she may have made a big mistake in letting him go.

Actually, that’s pretty much the story of “Celeste & Jesse Forever,” padded out with pleasant but unremarkable encounters with a variety of acquaintances.

Among these are a marijuana dealer (McCormack), our protagonists’ best friends (Ari Graynor, Eric Christian Olsen), Celeste’s gay business partner (Elijah Wood), Jesse’s new squeeze (Shira Lazar), the nice guy with eyes on Celeste (Chris Messina), and the spoiled teen pop star (Emma Roberts) whose account Celeste has landed.

Few of them really register.

Director Lee Toland Krieger handles individual scenes well enough, but there’s something missing in “C & J’s” bigger story arc…the film feels inconsequential despite Jones and Samberg, two very affable players who are attractive in a glamour-free way.

The good news is that “Celeste & Jesse Forever” runs for an economical 91 minutes.

The bad news is that it feels longer.

| Robert W. Butler