Customer Reviews

Waitress (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

"Waitress" is one of the best films I have had the privelege to see so far this year. It is right up there with "Namesake." I loved everything about this movie: the directing, acting, writing. Let's start with the directing. Just as Scorsese did in "After Hours" and Truffaut did in "The 400 Blows," Shelly showed her heartfelt and artistic vision in "Waitress." There's one particular scene sequence that comes to mind that exemplifies this vision. It happens right after Jenna made love to Dr. Pomatter. There's a silly afterglow on her face. You see it when she's carrying trays in the restaurant. You see it when she's making pies. And you especially see it when she's sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus. That look on her face and the way the film was cut with those quick scenes left a profound impact on the viewer. You knew you were in a moment of brilliance. You can just feel how happy and liberated Jenna felt at that moment in the movie. Now let's talk about the acting. Everyone was perfectly cast. I liked how Jenna was cold as ice at the beginning of the movie, warm-hearted in the middle, and assertive by the end. I liked how Dr. Pomatter was nervous at the beginning, calm in the middle, and love-struck by the end. But the character I was impressed by the most was Earl. Here is someone who could've been one-dimensional. In most movies he would've been a real jerk with no redeeming qualities. That's not the way Earl was portrayed in "Waitress." Yeah he was a control freak with fits of temper. But there was a reason for his unacceptable behavior: he was insecure and required constant approval by Jenna. That scene in the restaurant where he broke into the wedding reception, I was sure he was going to beat the living crap out of Jenna. Instead, he cries like a baby because he wants to know why Jenna hid money all over the house. This scene--which brings up the terrific writing--exemplifies how this movie is not a cliche and very real to life. I could go on and on about how terrific this movie is, but I highly recommend you to experience it for yourself.

While "Waitress" is not flashy, it puts a smile on your face. Kerri Russell will probably forever be tagged as TV's Felicity - Senior Year Collection (The Complete Fourth Season). As Jenna, she turns in a comic & varied performance that bounces between joy & despair, submissiveness & assertiveness. Under director Adreienne Shelly's deft touch, the film handles the subject of domestic abuse with sensitivity and caring.

Jeremy Sisto who will probably be remembered for his appearances on TV's Six Feet Under - The Complete Third Season plays Jenna's controlling husband Earl. I kept flashing on the Dixie Chicks' song, but it was never used in the film that has a great musical selections. Sisto plays the role as a bruiser, but also with levels of dependency and desperation. His selfish nature only buys into Jenna's pregnancy when she promises not to love the baby more than she loves him. As she promises, the irony is that she does not love him at all and lives in complete fear. Each time he grabs the money she makes from her, pulls up and demands that she meet his needs, as an audience we cringe.

As I watched the movie, I did not know that the waitress Dawn was also the film's director or that she was murdered before the film's release. These real-life events give the film a haunting feel. Shelly's performance is affecting as the girl who wants love so badly that she sets up five-minute dates so she won't be disappointed.

Nathan Fillion who was in "Slither" and six episodes of the TV series "Drive" this year plays Dr. Pomatter who finds himself irresistibly attracted to Jenna. The sparks that fly between the two put a smile on our face, despite the fact that we are watching two married people carry on an affair. Again, Shelly's touch is magical as a subject that should not be funny or romantic is given such a human face that we find ourselves drawn into their world.

Cheryl Hines from the film Cake & TV's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" plays the third waitress, Becky. She has one of those amazing smiles and embraces the character lovingly. The theme of an affair is repeated again as we find that Becky cares for a disabled spouse and finds a little secret joy.

North Carolina favorite Andy Griffith plays Old Joe who owns the pie shop. His banter with Jenna shows a crusty old geezer who observantly dispenses advice. It is an excellent cameo that could provide a sentimental dark horse Oscar nomination. Lew Temple who was in "Domino" plays the diner manager Cal who badgers the waitresses every time they head to the bathroom to discuss matters. Shelly gives him some touching levels as we see the scene where he dispenses his philosophy of life to Jenna. Eddie Jemison who has been in all the Ocean's films (11, 12 & 13) almost steals the show as the oddball romancer Ogie whose on-the-spot poetry is hysterically touching and awful at the same time. Shelly's screenplay reveals so many levels for each of the characters that we feel like we have been dropped into their real-world universe. This excellent small-budget film deserves great rewards at the box office. Enjoy!

Towards the end of Adrienne Shelley's poignant "Waitress" there is a scene involving a very pregnant Jenna ( a luminous Kari Russell) and Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) in which, as described by Jenna in voice-over, Pomatter embraces Jenna for 20 minutes with warmth, caring and empathy and more importantly for Jenna without a hint of lust. It's the kind of embrace that an intimate friend would give you: an embrace of platonic love, an embrace of understanding and commiseration. It is also an embrace which pretty much encapsulates all that is good and real about "Waitress": a film that is ultimately about hope and love and the redemptive properties of Pie.
Though often bordering on the sitcomishness of "Alice," Adrienne Shelley's ("Trust") "Waitress" manages for the most part to get at the heart of its concerns with humor and a good hearted wistfulness that never turns sour or maudlin: terms that can also be applied to Kari Russell's career making performance as Jenna.
"Waitress" is sly, smart and level headed. It is not always driven by anything resembling common sense but instead by those things that cling closer to the human heart like understanding and a very basic and profound humanity.

Waitress is surprisingly funny, charming, delicious, and even moving at times. It's about a depressed, discontended waitress named Jenna(Keri Russell) dealing with her daily mundane job at pie shop and her abusive husband, and how she faces new challenges and a romance with a married doctor when she unintentionally became pregnant. Jenna is very unhappy woman and a very good baker. She plans to secretly save up enough money and enter a national pie baking contest and run away from her nasty husband. Her two coworkers at the pie shop are good friends and supportive to her, and they also have their share of unhappy romanctic encounters. Jenna's life becomes more chaotic when she has an affair with the local doctor whom she thought might actually be an ideal future husband material, but nothing is what it it seems sometimes. Jenna befriends her regular customer Old Joe(Andy Griffith) who is also the shop owner, and eventually this wise old man becomes her advisor when things get ugly at home with her husband. Will Jenna stay home after giving birth to the baby, and continue to be miserable? Or will she run away with the doctor and start a new life? Or does she have other options....?

This is a very charming film and the characters have plenty of funny moments to work with. It's highly entertaining and I was very taken by Keri Russel's performances. The supporting cast all turned in strong performances. I thought the Adrianne Shelly who played the fellow waitress and her funny boyfriend had the funniest moment in the movie. The ending was kind of predictable but I also thought it had built up for the audiences to expect to see a second ending which I won't reveal.

What can I say? You leave the theatre sighing and, if you're lucky, a tingle down your spine. This is an Everywoman movie and the writing was just superb. Since someone else took care of the plot description, I can focus on what was so special about this film. I went to it purely for Nathan Fillion's part in it and was blown away by Keri Russell. I had never been a big fan of hers; I was neutral about her and I hadn't seen her in much. She IS this character. Funny, heartbreaking, smart, stuck, honest, and lonely. The chemistry between Russell and Fillion was smokin', but so was her chemistry with everyone else! Her scenes with Andy Griffith could melt any "chick flick" cynic out there!

Okay. Yes. I admit that I love Steel Magnolias, Mystic Pizza, Because I Said So, Beaches, Ya Ya Sisterhood, Practicl Magic, Thelma and Louise, Charlie's Angels, etc
This should not immediately discredit me from being an unbiased reviewer. I find movies like The Notebook and Bridges of Madison County too maudlin. I like movies like Rush Hour, Serenity, and Demolition Man just as much.

I guess what I'm trying to say in a very circuitous way is that this movie does fit into a genre. It's romantic, dramatic, funny, sad, quirky, dark, and uplifing. The use of pies as a segue is great and I don't even like pie!

How my ratings work:
5 - I really liked/loved it
4 - I liked it
3 - Could've been better/worth a look
2 - Just didn't live up to the potential
1 - Simply awful

This is a wonderful film, just so warm hearted. It's so sad that the writer/director Adrienne Shelly (who also co-stars in the film) was murdered and never got to see the reception of the film. I'll give the basic plot: Keri Russell plays Jenna, a waitress in a small southern town who works at a diner that makes pies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Jenna is in an unhappy marriage with abusive husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) and has discovered she's pregnant. Things get complicated when she falls for her new doctor (Nathan Fillion). So that's all I'm gonna say on the plot, I don't wanna give too much away. I really enjoyed this film; it's well written, acted, and directed all around. There isn't a bad actor in the group, everyone gives it there all. It was a delight to see Andy Griffith in a film; I like many, has grown up on Andy for several years. The best part of the film is Keri Russell, who I've known of for years but never really thought much about her until seeing this movie. She has shown her range with this film and I hope to see her in more. I'm sure everyone will find something to like about this film; you should see it at least once. Word of advice, do not see it on an empty stomach, there is a lot of footage of pie baking. Even if you're not a pie fan, this will make you hungry.

This movie almost remind me of the TV sitcom Alice: set in a small, out-of-the-way diner run by a cranky head cook with a heart of gold, and staffed by a trio of waitresses, the brash Blondie Southern one, the child-like and naive one, and the level-headed single mom (or mom-to-be, in this case), along with the typical assortment of wacky and colorful customers. Writer/director Adrienne Shelly manages to take this template and make something wonderful from it, however. Far from being a mere remake of Alice, Waitress is a well-conceived and well-executed exploration of one woman's fight to come into her own and realize her dreams, despite the bad choices and wrong decisions she's made along the way that weigh her down.

What truly sets this movie apart from most other big-screen fare is the script. The dialogue, written by Adrienne Shelly - who also directed and co-stars as Dawn, the mousy waitress who eventually finds true love - sparkles with wit, charm and humor. It's fast and it's funny, but it always feels totally natural, due in no small part, of course, to the talents of the actors and actresses charged with delivering it. Unlike the writing in, say, Gilmore Girls, widely praised for it's unique character, the dialogue in Waitress never seems forced or unnatural. It's brilliant without being obtrusive.

My only downsize to this film is the fact that the "men are dogs" message is a little heavy-handed. Without exception, all the male characters in Waitress are presented as either mean, like Earl (Jeremy Sisto), unprincipled, like Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), or just plain weird, like Ogie(Eddie Jemison's). Even Joe (Andy Griffith), who turns out to be truly kind and caring, is shown throughout most of the film to be abrasive and demanding, to the point that long-suffering Jenna is the only person who can deal with him and is truly his only friend. This is obviously a film made by a woman, primarily for a female audience, but one can't help but think that if a man made a film in which all the female characters were nothing but gold-digging, abusive, sluts, there would be a serious, if well-deserved, backlash.

Waitress is a good movie that is well worth seeing. It's tragic that Shelly, who was brutally murdered in November 2006, won't be making any further films, as this movie will no doubt bring awareness of the writer/director's impressive talents to a much wider audience than ever before. Fortunately, Waitress is a fitting memorial by which to be remembered.

On the surface WAITRESS is a simple, honest, unpretentious, funny, tender, and sensitive film about simple people in a small Southern town: it is the core of the film, the examination of individual's choices, consequences, rights, and fraternity that makes the little Indie so special. And another feature that adds a dimension of significance to the movie is that actress/writer/director Adrienne Shelly did not live to see the magic she created: Shelly was murdered in November 2006, a loss of a superb budding talent.

Using a very small cast of characters WAITRESS takes place in a Pie Diner, owned by the crusty and demanding Old Joe (Andy Griffith), managed by the grumpy Cal (Lew Temple), and run by three waitresses - frumpy little Dawn (Adrienne Shelly) looking for love, been-there-done-that Becky (Cheryl Hines) whose married to a drooling waste, and Jenna (Keri Russell), an unhappily married (to Earl - Jeremy Sisto) pie maker expert who longs to leave her marriage but has just discovered she is pregnant. She comes under the care of the OB-GYN Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion - also married) and in the course of her care the two fall in love. How Jenna manages to cope with the disruptive pregnancy and the other waitresses deal with their simple lives is the crux of the story. And while this simple plot lone doesn't appear to offer much, the manner in which it is written and acted makes is a little jewel.

Many are touting the emergence of Keri Russell as a serious actress as the reason for seeing this film, but the real genius behind the honest simplicity of the story is the sadly deceased Adrienne Shelly. She will be missed. In a series of fitting homages the featurettes add to the DVD version of this film. Grady Harp, November 07

It's hard not to resist the obvious metaphor that Adrienne Shelly's final work `Waitress' is a wonderful slice of life, but a film this rich deserves more than banal clichés. Nevertheless, the film is very satisfying from start to finish and is a must for anyone who wants to commiserate (soothing ginger pie) over the wounds of misogyny in an understandably jaded feminine existence. Much like `Volver' in the sense that it is mainly a women's affair, the film has a power to satisfy anyone with a palette for well-made movies that are cleverly told and leave a lingering aftertaste.

`The Waitress' is about, well.., a waitress. Jenna (played true-to-life by Keri Russell, brimming with a wide range of emotion), has one passion in life: making her pies. With great pride she presents a host of different sweetmeats, each with its own distinctive ingredients and descriptive titles to mirror life. Her great ambition is to enter her works in a "United States Pie" contest; one that would sustain her enough to get out from under her shackling existence with louse-spouse husband, Earl (Jeremy Sisto). His insecurity manifests itself by cueing his reluctant wife to say and confess things she doesn't mean, and by jealously guarding money that may buy out aspects of independence in her existence. (Their heated, one-way arguments set up for unseasoned rhubarb pie.) Add to that the ingredient of an unwanted pregnancy, and we're set up with an intent attention to the details of Jenna's story.

Most of the focus is at Joe's Pie Diner, the main outlet for her passion. Here she finds friendship with two fellow waitresses who are looking for respite and romance in their own lives. Becky (Shelly) finds sparks by answering personals ads; while spirited Dawn (Cheryl Hines) finds a side dish while caring for an invalid husband. All their lives overlap one another, even with growling cook/manager, Cal, who barks out orders with unrelenting grouchiness. They all share about the same misery and rejuvenation (including "Falling in love [Mousse] pie"). For all her trouble, Jenna gets some just desserts in her own life. First of all, she musters up some sweetness for elderly diner owner, Joe (Andy Griffith), who can on a turn be scathingly ornery or genuinely sweet. Next in line, is her obstetrician Dr. Jim Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), whom she resentfully notes has replaced her familiar female doctor. He's from Connecticut and is in some ways out of place in their deep Southern community. Nevertheless, he manages to tear down her jaundiced demeanor and provide a slice of sweet (potato) pie.

The extra ingredients make 'The Waitress' special. The sensual construction of fast-lapsed pies with Jenna's own narration is well-crafted, and the music makes each scene a symphony. Earl brings foreboding music with jaggedly edited scenes. Jenna and Jim provide classical music one notch lower than Tchycovsky's `Romeo and Juliet,' complete with spinning camera angles, and a fussy little toddler in the diner inspires the horror of Wagner. Topped off with some great dialogue, including narrated letters to her unborn baby that work like an unbosoming soliloquy, and we have a movie of distinct perfection.

(`The Waitress' reminded me of loose associations to other movies, including `Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and `Terms of Endearment,'Terms of Endearment but these are only hints for the distinctive flavor of this movie. Noting the nature of Adrienne Shelly`s tragic death, misfortune played an even worse role in her own life. )

I rented this back in the spring and absolutely fell in love with it. I watched it four times before I had to bring it back, but I'm about to order my own copy. Light, sweet, and funny. Adrienne Shelly did a wonderful job!