Jessica Williams
Jessica James
The Incredible Jessica James
“Likes are easy, love is hard.”
2017
1h 23m
Director: Jim Strouse
Overview
Burned by a bad breakup, a struggling New York City playwright makes an unlikely connection with a divorced app designer she meets on a blind date.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Quiet Rebellion of Jessica James
I’ve seen this movie before. Not this movie, exactly—same city, same genre, same post-breakup ache. A struggling artist in Brooklyn, a blind date that might be the start of something, the slow unraveling of emotional armor.
It’s a formula so familiar it could be stamped on a rom-com assembly line. And yet, The Incredible Jessica James sneaks up on you. Not with grand gestures or plot twists, but with something rarer: the feeling that you’re watching people who actually exist, not characters designed to make you feel good.
Jessica Williams plays Jessica James, a playwright whose career is stuck in neutral and whose heart is still bruised from a recent breakup. She’s sharp, funny, and stubbornly herself—qualities that make her both magnetic and, at times, exhausting. (I’ve known a few Jessicas in my life.
You probably have too.) The film opens with her teaching a theater workshop for kids, where she’s equal parts inspiring and unfiltered. When one of her students asks if she’s ever been in love, she deadpans, “I don’t know. I’ve been in like a lot.” It’s a throwaway line, but it sets the tone: this isn’t a story about grand passions.
It’s about the messy, awkward, often frustrating work of figuring out what you actually want.
Jim Strouse, who wrote and directed, has a knack for these kinds of low-stakes, high-charm stories. His previous film, The Hollars, was a small-town dramedy that felt similarly lived-in, if a little too safe. Here, he takes a bigger swing.
The script is loose and conversational, full of digressions and half-finished thoughts—the way real people talk when they’re trying to figure each other out. It’s not Sleepless in Seattle or When Harry Met Sally; there’s no meet-cute, no grand romantic gesture. Instead, there’s a blind date with Boone (Chris O’Dowd), a divorced app designer who’s just as emotionally adrift as Jessica.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 6.2/10
"A charming but formulaic romantic comedy saved by Jessica Williams' magnetic performance."
Jessica Williams' lively and engaging presence dominates the film, making even its predictable romantic comedy beats feel fresh and enjoyable. latestnetflix.com's view is that while the story follows well-worn tropes and some supporting characters lack depth, her performance and the chemistry with Chris O'Dowd provide enough spark to keep viewers entertained.
What viewers praise
- Jessica Williams' performance Her charismatic and energetic lead performance is widely praised as the film's strongest asset, carrying the story with charm and wit.
- Lead chemistry The on-screen chemistry between Jessica Williams and Chris O'Dowd adds warmth and authenticity to their romantic dynamic.
- Lighthearted tone The film's breezy and upbeat tone makes it an easy, feel-good watch for fans of romantic comedies.
Common complaints
- Predictable plot The storyline follows familiar romantic comedy tropes, offering few surprises for viewers.
- Underdeveloped supporting cast Side characters often feel thinly written and lack the depth needed to elevate the story beyond its lead performances.
- Formulaic structure The film's reliance on standard rom-com conventions may leave some viewers wanting more originality.
Recommended for
Romantic comedy fans Jessica Williams admirers Lighthearted movie lovers Netflix comedy seekers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThey almost named her Jessica Jones.
Jessica Williams told Vogue the character started as Jessica Jones. Netflix already had Krysten Ritter in a show with that title. Williams laughed when press still mixed them up. "That's our b! We did that!" Jim Strouse wrote the movie for her after she appeared in his 2015 comedy People Places Things. latestnetflix.com's take is that she left The Daily Show to shoot it and took an executive producer credit.
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Netflix bought worldwide rights before Sundance even closed. The Hollywood Reporter put the figure at more than $3 million. Buyers piled in after a volunteer screening on the festival's first day. The picture was already locked as closing night, 27 January 2017. Beachside's Michael B. Clark and Alex Turtletaub produced. ICM sold it. Netflix branded it an original and held it until 28 July. Runtime 83 minutes. Chris O'Dowd plays Boone, the rumpled app guy. Lakeith Stanfield is the ex she still stalks online. ,
The film sat finished while its star made two kinds of news. At the Park City Women's March she told the crowd, "Williams is my last name, but it is not my real name. It is my slave name. I am my ancestors' dream. They fought for me to be able to stand up here in the cold-ass snow in front of a bunch of white people wearing Uggs." Days later she argued with Salma Hayek at a women-in-Hollywood lunch. Hayek wanted women to reject victimhood. Williams said that for Black and trans women, "it's not so simple." She told Vogue race is not a hat she can take on and off. The movie never has Boone and Jessica discuss that he is white and she is Black. She does call herself "a cocoa queen." Williams is six feet tall. Her dating policy, she said, is nobody under six feet. "It's always some 5-foot-10-ass dude, trying to stand butt to butt with you."
Entertainment Weekly clipped the line that sold the trailer. Boone says he likes her. She answers, "Yeah, Boone, of course you do. Everybody does. I'm freaking dope!" Williams told EW they wanted a woman who was not defined by who she loved. "It's something a woman could watch and be like, 'Cool!'" Her mother saw the Sundance screening. Williams sat between her best friend and her boyfriend, sweating about how many times she makes out in the movie. Mom loved it. Dad had not seen it yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEkYAzSpHnA
Rotten Tomatoes later sat at 89 percent from 61 reviews. Metacritic 72. The consensus called Williams potentially star-making. Netflix posted the official trailer in July. The Daily Show correspondent got a bidding war, a streaming original, and a Park City speech people still quote. The rom-com was the quiet part. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.