It’s clear that director Jim Strouse is pulling no punches. The Incredible Jessica James is just one short word away from its true title – The Incredible Jessica Williams – HIRE HER!
Jessica Williams really began to garner a following after her incredibly smart segments on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Since then, Williams has been dabbling more and more in acting. She previously worked with Strause as a supporting character in his last film (which also premiered at Sundance) People Places Things. Clearly the two must have a good relationship since his next project was built with Williams in mind. Much like the actual Jessica Williams, Jessica James is smart and unafraid to speak her mind. She’s a little too straightforward when she tells her Tinder date that they’ve only met up at a bar that her ex (Lakeith Stanfield) frequents so she can show off how she’s moved on from him. She’s a pure force of nature, obsessed with pursuing her dream of becoming a playwright while teaching theatre to children at a local non-profit. When she meets the recently divorced sad sack Boone (Chris O’Dowd), they immediately seem like oil and water – until they’re not.
The film is pretty light on plot. Jessica gets rejected from theatre companies, hangs out with her best friend (Noel Wells), thinks about her ex too much, and prepares her class to go on a weekend writers’ retreat. Still, even without a clear cohesive plot, Jessica James lands most of its jokes and the cast is charming enough to hook you. Though they do make an odd pair – O’Dowd’s slobbish charm versus Williams’s brash honesty – the two develop a magnetic rapport that often organically vacillates between friendship and romance as they both acknowledge how broken they are post-breakup.
That said, Jessica Williams hasn’t quite learned yet how to translate her naturally magnetic personality to other characters. There’s something forced just under the surface of her performance, which is disappointing when you know how fiery she can be. That’s not to say Williams can’t carry a film; she still manages to turn in an engaging performance.
Since the film is light on plot, it seems to wrap up very quickly. Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces fall in place at the right time in the last 20 minutes, which makes for suspicious timing and a quick resolution. The Incredible Jessica James was always going to be Jessica Williams’s chance to prove herself as an actress. While I wouldn’t call it knocking it out of the park, it’s clear that with some honing and practice, Williams could be taking over films and televisions before you know it.
