"very accessible and relatable"

Have you ever tried remaining friends with an ex partner while going through a divorce? Well whether you have or not, I'm sure you can imagine that it's not going to be easy, right? And what if said ex also happened to be your best friend? Well that is exactly the subject that is explored in the latest offering from powerhouse talent Rashida Jones.

What I liked about the film is that while it is certainly designed as a romantic comedy of sorts, it manages to avoid the typical pitfalls of the said genre, as it would have been easy for Jones - who also co-wrote the film - to write her character as a 'perfect, do nothing wrong' type, but she didn't.

Both of the title characters have their flaws - Jesse (Andy Samberg) is a dreamer who doesn't quite get his act together until he is forced to, while Celeste (Jones) is more 'together' but to a fault. in effect they are polar opposites, and while they do say opposites attract, these two probably shouldn't have got together, nor should Celeste be an enabler, while Jesse needs to buckle down and get things going. Let's just say that the list of faults is a mile long.

No one is perfect and that is what makes Celeste & Jesse Forever very accessible and relatable, watching the events unfold on screen is like watching a real relationship, with the ups and downs that we have all been through at some stage.

There's a scene towards the end where you think they are going down a familiar road but they don't and while I don't wish to reveal too much, I think you'll appreciate the route taken by director Lee Toland Krieger, and why it has been done the way it has.

That being said there is one thing that did slightly irk me; and that was Elijah Wood's performance as the somewhat camp Scott. The role may have been intended to be a sort of caricature, but it simply appears a bit too over the top and therefore unnatural. 

Even with that slight gripe, I found Celeste & Jesse Forever to be a very well balanced film; it wasn't 'slapstick' funny like what you'd get from an Adam Sandler feature or a 'gross out' comedy from say Judd Apatow or Todd Phillips, it is simply just a well balanced piece of cinema with sterling performances from the leads as well as the impressive supporting cast.