KISSING JESSICA STEIN

[Mike]

http://us.ent4.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/fox_searchlight/kissing_jessica_stein/_group_photos/heather_juergensen1.jpg

PLOT:

After an optimistic but nightmarish dating spree, neurotic New York journalist Jessica
Stein happens upon an intriguing personal ad
whose only drawback is that it's in the 'women seeking women' section. On a daring whim, she decides to answer it and, to her surprise, ends up instantly clicking with downtown hipster Helen Cooper. The women proceed to muddle through an earnest courtship in which, with conventional gender roles absent, they are forced to make it up
as they go along.


I really want to see this movie. I haven't seen previews to it or anything but ever since I first heard about it a couple of months ago I've been curious about it. It opened March 13th in limited release. I highly doubt it will get a wide release, but it would be cool if it would. Most likely I'll have to wait for video to see it.

What does everyone else think? Has anyone seen it? Was it good?

[idealdiscountdude]

I really want to see it to Mike, it looks hilarious. I doubt we will get it here in Nova Scotia until late April or early May.

[Horror whore]

Ebert and Roeper just gave it two thumbs up... But I don't wanna see it, I'm not a fan of lesbian mvoies, I'd rather go see 40 Days and 40 Nights...

[This message has been edited by Horror whore (edited 03-17-2002).]

[movieDUDE68686]

I think it looks like a lesbian-version of bridget jones's diary and i wanna see it.

[hesterthe13th]

I saw this a couple of weeks ago at a screening that was followed by a Q&A with the two leads, who wrote the script and produced it.

The movie was much better than I was expecting. Very funny and realistic. When I got invited to the screening, I downloaded the trailer and was less than impressed. The movie proved to be quite good, though. The two lead actresses were very enthusiastic about the movie. It began life as an off-off broadway play they wrote and they pretty much raised the money for the movie themselves and shot it guerrilla-style. I really recommend seeing this movie in the theatre if only to show the studio that there is a market for intelligent, independent movies.

[ColinM]

Looks pretty interesting, but I know it wouldn't play in my cruddy rural area so I'll probably have to wait until it comes out on video. That is, if it comes out to rent here! http://www.joblo.com/ubb/mad.gif

[Phantazmo]

I'll rent it just for the lesbians....

[Jordan]

F.Y.I., Jessica opened on 26 screens last Wednesday. It was one of the top 3 per-screen-average films of last weekend. I think it expands this weekend, but probably not into too many markets. Most of us will have to wait for video.

ifilm.com had about 7 minutes of the film online last week. I'm not sure it's still there. It was kinda interesting, but I don't know how well this would play in Peoria. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/wink.gif

[idealdiscountdude]

Reviews for this film have been stellar!!!

I really want to see it!!

[Fergus]

It opened this weekend near me..... 20 miles away. The only "art" theater isn't even near me, but we have tons of theaters around. Oh well, it will probably be video before I see it. I really wanted to see it too.

[Mike]

My predictions for next weekend:

1. PANIC ROOM - 20 MILLION
2. ICE AGE - 12 MILLION
3. HIGH CRIMES - 12 MILLION
4. THE ROOKIE - 11 MILLION
5. BIG TROUBLE - 9 MILLION
6. CLOCKSTOPPERS - 6.8 MILLION
7. BLADE 2 - 5.8 MILLION
8. VAN WILDER - 5 MILLION
9. A BEAUTIFUL MIND - 3 MILLION
10. E.T. - 2.9 MILLION
11. WE WERE SOLDIERS - 2.3 MILLION
12. LORD OF THE RINGS - 1.9 MILLION
13. SHOWTIME - 1.8 MILLION
14. DEATH TO SMOOCHY - 1.7 MILLION
15. MONSTERS BALL - 1.6 MILLION
16. RESIDENT EVIL - 1.4 MILLION
17. KISSING JESSICA STEIN - 1.2 MILLION
18. SORORITY BOYS - 1.1 MILLION
19. THE TIME MACHINE - 1 MILLION
20. MONSOON WEDDING - .7 MILLION


KISSING JESSICA STEIN has been doing really well and is doubling it's theaters count this next weekend and will be playing in around 300 theaters. It should continue to do pretty well and will for sure be in the top 20. I see it being #17 with around 1.2 Million. I'm hoping it continues to do well because if they keep adding theaters every weekend and it keeps doing well maybe it will actually come to a theater near me. I want to see it really bad.

-By the way, Fergus, if it's only 20 miles away and you really want to see it why don't you just go see it. I drive over 50 Miles when I go to the movies because I want to go to the best theater and the theaters around me are shitty and they usually don't get movies until they've been out a month or better. I know if it was playing "ONLY 20 MILES" away from me I'd sure as hell go see it.

[Mike]

"KISSING JESSICA STEIN" BOX OFFICE HISTORY:

Week - 1
Rank - 29
Gross - 346,999
Theaters - 26
Per Theater - 13,346
Cumulative - 414,653

Week - 2
Rank - 22
Gross - $511,229
Theaters - 66
Per Theater - $7,746
Cumulative - $1,082,029

Week - 3
Rank - 21
Gross - $718,572
Theaters - 131
Per Theater - $5,485
Cumulative $2,012,420

[Mike]

FROM www.hollywood.com (http://www.hollywood.com) :

Fox Searchlight Pictures' R rated romantic comedy Kissing Jessica Stein expanded in its fourth week to a still tempting ESTIMATED $1.01 million (+40%) at 319 theaters (+188 theaters; $3,150 per theater). Its cume is approximately $3.3 million.

Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, it stars Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen.

"Jessica's done well," Fox Searchlight distribution president Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "We had a nice fourth weekend. We expanded to 319 theaters this week. We were pretty much across the country. It's a very successful limited release for us and we expect to be playing for quite a few more weeks because particularly in the cities that we've been open in for four weeks -- New York and L.A. and Chicago and Boston and so forth -- it's held extremely well.

"It's playing very, very well. The recent markets have opened up not as proportionally strong, but very solid. So we're very pleased with how it's playing across the country."

Asked where it's heading, Gilula replied that while it's still early to say for sure, "I think that we are certainly going to get to $6-or-$7 million, but each week tells us a little more of the story. We expect to be playing through the spring."


- I must say I'm a little disappointed with it's gross this last weekend, I thought it would make a little more, at least 1.2 Million. But it only made 1.01 Million for an OK average of 3,150 per theater. It is doing well for this kind of movie, but I still expected it to do a little better. The main reason I'm disappointed is because I was hoping it would continue doing really well so they would keep expanding it every weekend and then it might actually end up playing somewhere around me. But now they won't be expanding it anymore according to www.boxofficeguru.com (http://www.boxofficeguru.com) and I'm pissed. I thought it would be cool if this kind of movie actually went wide. But if it does reach the 6-7 Million they are predicting, that would still be very good for this kind of film. I just wish it would have done a little better last weekend.

[the saw is family]

i went and saw this,this past weekend. i found it to be really enjoyable. i am definetly not a fan of the romantic comedy genre but this one had good characters good writing i really enjoyed everything about the film. it's probably my second favorite romantic comedy behind chasing amy.

kissing jessica stein-8.5/10

[Horror whore]

I just found out this is coming to my local theater this weekend!!! But I don't really care since I'm not interested in esbians.... AND I'm seeing 40 Days and 40 Nights this weekend...

[Mike]

Damn Horror Whore,
you are really lucky, I wish it was coming to my theater. I really think you should check it out, it really isn't a lesbian movie. It supposedly takes it very lightly and it isn't controversial, it's just about two people (that happen to be girls) that fall in love. Hell, one of the girls is straight, the other is bi, it's supposed to be a really funny and sweet movie. There's no need to be homophobic, it wouldn't mean you were a lesbian if you went to see this movie. I've seen movies about gay guys (Hell, I love Queer As Folk, you've read my review in the DVD section) and I'm not gay, I'm just open minded. I borrowed Lost & Delirious to 3 girls at work that don't like lesbians and didn't want to see it, and guess what? All three liked it. I really can't see why it would bother you to see this movie, it had great reviews and excellent word of mouth. And I've seen 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS and I thought it was disappointing, still good, but I expected a lot more. And plus it had two chicks kissing and A LOT of tits, a lot of girls in the theater were groaning and going "eew sick." I'm sure there's a lot less female nudity in Kissing Jessica Stein. Anyway, see what you want, but I bet you'd end up liking Kissing Jessica Stein. I sure wish it was coming to my theater.

[Horror whore]

Good points....

Buuuuuuuuut, KISSING JESSICA STEIN doesn't have Josh Hartnett in it.... http://www.joblo.com/ubb/wink.gif

[Mike]

Josh Hartnett is my favorite actor but I was still disappointed with the flick. And if I had it to do over I'd probably wait for video. I'd much rather see some little indie flick that's in limited release and has great word of mouth than a mainstream movie. One of my female friends loves Josh Hartnett and gross out comedies but saw 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS with her boyfriend last week and she thought it was sick, she said it was OK but she thought it would have been better. If you want to see 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS go ahead and check it out, but you should also check out KISSING JESSICA STEIN sometime this weekend while you have the chance.

[The Shah Of Blah]

I just saw this movie and I have to say I was really surprised. It was somewhat Woddy Allen -ish in the fact that people where so neurotic and the whole New York thing but I discredit all those who say that this movie was a Woody Allen ripoff. The themes are much different then regular allen, and it addresses alot, while sometimes taking its own message to seriously, I still found it to be a great movie. I would say that it was a Annie Hall meets When Harry Met Sally with a dash of lesbian politics. Yeah that sounds about right but Overall it was a really good romantic comedy i was fully surpirsed. 8/10

[AppleHuntr]

I work at a movie theater, and we just got Kissing Jessica Stein, and our theater is part of a chain, so the film is moving beyond LANDMARK theaters (the "art houses). It actually came pretty quickly, it was only released here 2 weeks ago, it took In the Bedroom like over 2 months to make it to our chain. (Its kinda a rarity when we get an indie film so I'm excited). We also had The Deep End, which is a stellar flick I urge everyone to see. I think I'll see Jessica this week. (NOTE: I dont like the title, it was going to be "Seeking Same" which I thought was decent, but the filmmakers hated it, thus KISSING...I dont think the audience likes it too well either, barely anybody says the full name when purchasing a ticket. It's always "Two For Jessica" or "One for Kissing". It just doesn't sound smooth.)

[Mike]

That's cool, it gives me hope that it might actually come to a theater around me (I live in Minnesota too). Anyway, when you see it let us know what you thought.

[Horror whore]

We'll I Just found out 40 Days and 40 Nights won't be playin at my theater so my friends now want to see A Beautiful Mind... I asked them about the movie and they said "LESBIANS?!??!?!"

[Mike]

You didn't have to tell them it's about lesbians http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif. Anyway, I'm sure you could get a couple of your friends to see it with you, it shouldn't be that hard. I could talk my friends into it, hell, I think my female friends would want to see it anyway, I wouldn't even have to talk them into it. It would probably be easier to get a female friend to see it then it would a guy friend since it's a romantic comedy. I'm sure you could find someone to see it with you. I really hope you check it out since I'm not able to see it yet I'd love to here what you thought about it, I'm sure you'd like it. I picture you giving it a 7/10 or 8/10. Consider yourself lucky that it's at your theater, I would kill for it to be at mine. Definitely take advantage of this opportunity. I've heard a lot of great reviews from straight girls. And Lisa Schwarzbaum is the one that reviewed it for EW and she gave it a B-. It's not like it's girl on girl porn http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif.

[Mike]

MY PREDICTION FOR "KISSING" THIS WEEKEND (April 26th-April 28th):

21. KISSING JESSICA STEIN - .4 (This movie has been sticking around 20 and 21 at the Box Office for awhile now and should stay at #21 this weekend. It's already grossed over 5 Million at the US Box Office and it's pretty much gauranteed to gross at least 6 Million. And 6 Million is very good for a movie like this, but I'd be a little happier if it would make it to at least 7 Million. I've wanted to see this movie for a long time now and every weekend I hope it will make it to a theater near me but it never does. I checked and believe it or not it isn't even playing within a 100 Mile radius of me. I'd go at least 50 Miles to see it but unfortunately it's not playing nowhere near 50 Miles of me. I wish they'd just release it wide, I'd be happy with at least 1,000 theaters, they can do better than a little over 300 theaters. Even though the subject matter would cause a stir with religious groups, it would still find an audience. Hell, it already has in limited release. I know a lot of mainstream moviegoers that have seen it or want to see it and the reviews and word of mouth are great. I wish they wouldn't just let this little indie sleeper slip out of there hands, get some balls and release it wide, shock everyone, who cares. Lost & Delirious was a great movie and that was only in limited release, a very limited release, the same goes for other so called "lesbian" movies. I would love to see some studio release a romance movie that centers around "two girls in a relationship" wide. KISSING JESSICA STEIN has great potential and it pisses me off that they aren't taking advantage of this. Just get some fucking TV spots out there and throw it into 1,000 theaters and see what happens. The plot is so intriguing and will appeal to quite a few different people, even straight girls. I have two really good friends that are girls and they both think it sounds good, and they are both 100% straight. And I know it would be a lot easier for girls to get guys to see this romantic comedy. This just pisses me off!!! KISSING JESSICA STEIN could be a fucking sleeper hit, I can just sense it. Here's a quote taken from EW's Spring Movie Preview issue about Kissing Jessica Stein: "The catchy concept could result in the season's sleeper hit." I agree 100%!!! This movie is important DAMN IT!!! Sorry for the rant buy I just want to see this movie really bad.

[Horror whore]

Mike- Kissing Jessica Stein comes out on video on August 13.... Thought you'd like to know...

[Mike]

Hey, thanks for the info Horror Whore. I wish it wasn't so far away though, well, it seems like it is anyway. But thanks a lot, I appreciate it.