So what’s modern love all about? This poignant predecessor to Juno and (500) Days of Summer is yet another attempt to decipher the unpredictable nature of relationships and the heartaches and daily realities that come along with it. Co-written by real life exes Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the film has the former also playing the titular role. Celeste and Jesse Forever may not reinvent the rom-com genre but it’s still a delightful and well-thought-out entry into the canon.

Celeste (Jones) is an intense, hard-working owner of a media consulting firm and trend forecaster. Jesse (Andy Samberg) is an illustrator who is happy to go surfing instead of pursuing a job. They are former high school friends who got married but are now separated, yet they spend as much time together as any other ordinary couple. The self-righteous Celeste initially thinks she has the upper hand when it comes to handling the situation (she is, after all, the more successful one), but when Jesse reconnects with a woman he dated earlier in the separation and decides to have a baby with her instead, Celeste has to come to terms with a change in their relationship.

The chemistry between our two leads is probably what holds the film together—Jones, being so close to the subject matter, is naturally embittered and heartbreaking as Celeste, and her on-screen energy is balanced well with Samberg’s laid-back turn. The two actors feel so right together (their naturalistic banter is infectious) that it is hard to see anybody else in their roles, which certainly adds pathos to an already compelling script. That’s not to say that the script is without flaw. The inclusion of various supporting characters like Elijah Wood as Celeste’s gay co-worker and Emma Roberts as Celeste’s pop-star client Riley feels a tad padded and self-consciously hip. If the film had played it straight, it might have turned out to be a classic rom-com like When Harry Met Sally.