The Incredible Jessica James is one of those films that I could have just watched forever. The characters were so compelling. I just wanted to be involved in every aspect of their lives.
The Incredible Jessica James is a Netflix Original Film about a 25 year old hopeful playwright named, well, Jessica James. When we enter her story, she has just gotten out of a relationship with a guy that she’s pretty sure she was in love with. From here, we follow her journey through life, love, and rejection letters.
Character driven films are some of my favorites. I could have been watching the character of Jessica James do the most boring task, such as laundry, and I would have loved the hell out of it because her character, her personality is so well written. All of the characters in this film are well written. Chris O’Dowd’s character of Boone is crazy charming (like most Chris O’Dowd characters, honestly. Let’s face it. That man is charming as hell). The chemistry between Boone and Jessica is crazy impressive right from the beginning. They just work so well together. I want to watch their story unfold.
I found myself rooting for Jessica James. I wanted her to get a positive letter back. I loved that she hung up all her rejection letters. She let that fuel her to be successful. And, I didn’t realize how much I had connected with the character until the end of the film when (SPOILER ALERT) she got a positive letter back, inviting her to London to do a staging of one of her plays.
This film, stylistically, I would say is not anything special. It doesn’t rely on camera tricks. It doesn’t rely on special effects. This film relies solely on its writing and the actor’s interpretation of each character. There is so much depth to the character of Jessica James. She feels very real. That, in large, is due to Jessica Williams’ portrayal of her. I cannot stress enough that this film comes off as if we are watching real people. As if we are gazing into this brief moment in their lives and that their lives continue once the credits roll.
If you like, to quote Jessica James, “dialogue driven dramas that explore the human condition”, you’ll like this film. Even better is that this film is also a comedy. A Dramedy, if you will. I know, I know. It’s billed solely as a comedy, but it feels much more than that. You’ll see what I mean once you watch it. So, go and watch it. Let me know what you think. I hope you love it.