‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’

Director Lee Toland Krieger’s “Celeste and Jesse Forever” explores the dynamics of a divorce that starts out amicably and proceeds to get more complicated as a couple that seemed perfect together (Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg) face the reasons it all fell apart. Jones’ Celeste is trend forecaster, so her specialty is being correct about history, the present and tomorrow. In contrast, Jesse is a free spirit, an artist who has none of his wife’s energy or focus, and while they care about each other, this difference between their personalities finally caught up with their loving intentions.

Jones, who co-wrote “Celeste and Jesse,” has a track record with seriocomic performances on “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office,” and this independent release allows her to go deeper with the drama, but Samberg’s performance is revelatory. When “Celeste and Jesse” was released last summer, Samberg was just coming off the infuriating Adam Sandler disaster “That’s My Boy,” and his emotional range in this film shows there is a promising future for him beyond broad comedy if he wants it.

“Celeste and Jesse Forever” is further bolstered by good secondary players such as Elijah Wood as Celeste’s boss and Emma Roberts as a Ke$ha-like pop star who the trend forecaster is forced to take as a client. The DVD also features a commentary track from Jones and Samberg offering a much sillier version of the actors’ comic chemistry.

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