Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a copywriter/editor living in New York City. Her Jewish mother Judy (Tovah Feldshuh) and grandmother Esther (Esther Wurmfeld) insist that it is about time she settled down and found a man, after all, she isn't getting any younger.
The trouble is, every man she goes on a date with falls extremely short of her high expectations. Whether it's using English incorrectly, a fixation on fitness and wellness, or some other strange foible she believes they have, it seems that no man is good enough for her.
Her boss (and ex-boyfriend) Josh Meyers (Scott Cohen) isn't helping either, by reminding her at every possible opportunity that she is still single, and it's quite simply her own fault.
Co-worker and friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) is newly pregnant, which only serves to remind Jennifer that her biological clock is ticking ever faster.
Free-spirited painter Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen) is also looking for a partner. Having had enough of men, she places an ad in the ‘Women seeking Women' column in the newspaper.
Jennifer responds to Helen's ad on a whim, and the two begin a relationship together (or at least, they try to). The question is, will Helen live up to Jennifer's high expectations? And what about Jennifer's conservative religious family; what on earth will they think?
The script (by Westfeldt and Juergensen) is absolutely hilarious, playing constantly on Jennifer's many neuroses. I haven't heard much about these two as writers or actors before or since, which is a shame, because given the calibre of this script, I am sure anything else they would collaborate on would be great.
Their performances too are quite good, in particular Westfeldt in the title role. I don't know if she is a normally neurotic person to be able to offer comment on just how much actual acting was involved, but her portrayal of a desperate woman longing to find companionship at any cost is very well done.
There is nothing particularly spectacular about the cinematography here; this is a relatively standard romantic comedy with only the one major difference that the two leads are both of the same gender, so it doesn't require any particularly special camera work.
The standout factor though of this film though has got to be the production design, by Charlotte Bourke. The particular intricacies of both Jennifer and Helen's apartments are wonderful, and the set design throughout is magnificent. Make sure you pause the film now and again to check out the artworks supposedly painted by Helen; they really are wonderful.
The score (by Marcelo Zarvos) doesn't depart too much from your standard romantic comedy film score. The music is good, absolutely, but nothing particularly innovative here.
Director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld has given us an interesting twist on the romantic comedy genre. Okay, I realise there are several films that have a similar premise to them, and I mean no offence by using the word ‘twist’ to describe this film. Nonetheless, this is a very enjoyable film that is well worth watching a few times. And it will make you laugh and make you cry each time (don't say I didn't warn you).
7 1/2 out of 10.
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