Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
We’ve known for a while now that The Daily Show‘s Jessica Williams was something special; from the moment that the then-22-year-old rookie arrived on screen, she was magnetic, sharp, and hilarious. It was seemingly only a matter of time until she was thrust directly into the spotlight, and The Incredible Jessica James does just that. The fresh, genuinely funny rom-com will make you feel a lot of things, and you’ll undoubtedly emerge wishing that Williams was your best friend.
The premise is a fairly familiar one, but it’s the execution that elevates Jessica James above the rest. When we first meet our titular leading lady, she’s on a Tinder date, and confronts her clueless companion with brutal honesty. There’s gotta be some reason a catch like her is hanging out with this square, right? This question answers itself quickly when her ex (played by the marvelous Lakeith Stanfield, who we frankly just can’t get enough of) enters the bar with the new woman he’s seeing, a turn of events that displeases Jessica greatly. She’s resentful, she’s in pain, and she’s real as fuuuuck. It’s such a breath of fresh air – and then we get to the glorious opening credits sequence.
She dances, she jumps, she skips, she makes a peanut butter sandwich, and then she’s on her roof, doing what we all do (or wish we could) when we finally have the house to ourselves and just wanna get it all out. The conclusion of it all – one that sees her take out her headphones in a mildly deflated manner – makes her all the more human. Over the course of the film’s first act, we find out that Jessica teaches children at a nonprofit theater company, and she really cares about these kids – and makes us care in the process. As an aspiring (and frequently rejected and dejected) playwright herself, she just seems to want the best for them – and for them to feel the same fire for theater that she does. Thanks to the scheming of her mess of a best friend (played endearingly by Master of None‘s Noël Wells), she winds up on a date with a recently divorced Irishman named Boone (Chris O’Dowd), a situation that she initially really loathes. Their date is nothing short of magical, and not in a romantic sense; their chemistry is totally electric, sparky, and compelling. They’re brutally honest with each other, realistically quick-witted, and unfailingly mean. If Williams wasn’t already exciting enough to watch on her own, her magnetic on-screen presence opposite O’Dowd really seals the deal.
In Jessica James, so many daily truths are captured beautifully. Whether it’s the shabby side of living in New York City, the self doubt that comes with artistic endeavors, or the lingering trauma of family dysfunction, the general sense of accuracy and emotional sincerity is maintained. Even when the film leaves New York to take Jessica home for the weekend (for what becomes a horrifying baby shower for her little sister), it maintains its authenticity, its comic, honest charm. The manner in which the sadly-changing state of home is tackled is painfully resonant; we’ve all, at one point or another, experienced what it’s like to realize your hometown (and the people in it) just don’t feel like home anymore.
As she proves to us time and time again with her relentless, dazzling, openly flawed persona, Jessica James is the protagonist we’ve been waiting for. She’s driven but conflicted, unabashed in her wants and needs, and openly boasts her high self-esteem – something rarely ever seen in women on screen. It’s perhaps one of the highlights of the film – when she’s confronted with rejection or any question of her importance, she’s always got a confident retort handy. She’s completely assured that her feelings are valid and real and worthy, and that she’s special. Because she is. “Jessica, I really like you,” Boone tells her, scrambling to apologize for his dishonesty.
“Yeah, Boone, of course you do, everybody does, I’m freakin’ dope.”
There’s a lot that happens in Jessica James that feels generally predictable, but it’s resoundingly honest. There’s awkward, occasionally hot sex, completely mortifying ex-encounters, and wonderfully-done imaginings of Jessica of what she would do if her own ex really came running back. It’s all driven home by Williams’ undeniable charisma, the way her eyes light up when we get up close and personal with her, the way she bites down on dialogue only she can deliver the way she does. The Incredible Jessica James could be Netflix’s first real rom-com home run, and we should be grateful for it. Who knows when we’ll get another glimpse of magic like this?
