‘Incredible Jessica James’ Sundance Review: Jessica Williams Reveals New Levels of Charm

A movie star is born: one-time “Daily Show” correspondent is a revelation in this intelligent comedy

A comedy centered around a multi-dimensional African-American woman who is smart, funny, vulnerable, sensual, wise, proud, charming, flawed, resilient, well-educated, an inspiring teacher and a loving friend feels almost like the cinematic equivalent of a unicorn.

Writer-director Jim Strouse had cast Williams — known best for her clever comic reports on “The Daily Show” — in his previous film, 2015’s “People, Places, Things.”

[...] Williams is a revelation.

Living in a working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, Jessica is a playwright whose big break hasn’t happened.

In the film’s earliest scenes she’s a master of TMI, whether on a Tinder date or at a posh event where she’s serving champagne to wealthy arts patrons.

In a jubilant opening scene that also sends up rom-com conventions, she dances off her woes, starting in her apartment, up a few flights of drab stairs and onto the roof.

While several comic scenarios center on Jessica and Boone’s awkward encounters with their exes, it’s also noteworthy that no one is painted as villains.

While the story has a disarming and subtly woven message of female empowerment that audiences (especially women) will warm to, the film is above all a showcase for Williams’s many talents, and a testament to her ability as a vibrant leading lady.