2012 West Carrollton graduation
Home of the Week
Madison graduation 2012
Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2007 > May > 31 > Entry
Accept a substitute at the movies: ‘Waitress’
In the comments to my post about summer movie fatigue, my friend SRCPutt recommended I review the film Waitress and suggest it as an alternative to over-the-top blockbuster fare.
Well, as they say in the waitressing biz, “order up!”
Who would have guessed that one of the best movies of the year would be a comedy about unwanted pregnancy?
The beauty of Waitress is that it finds real warmth and humor in that rather grim situation and earns every one of its laughs and occasional tears. If ever there were a movie about making lemon meringue pie out of lemons, Waitress is it.
The waitress in question is Jenna (Keri Russell), who gets a rude shock when she finds out she is expecting. Married to a control freak husband named Earl (Jeremy Sisto), who’s about as romantic as a dead skunk, Jenna makes sure her doctor knows she’s not happy about her predicament.
“Un-congratulations,” the doctor (Nathan Fillion) says gamely.
“Un-thank you,” Jenna replies, finding out before too long that she has a mad crush on this handsome new doctor - and the feeling is mutual.
Three other major players populate Jenna’s world. Two are her fellow waitresses Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (the writer-director of this film, Adrienne Shelley), who are in various stages of romantic travails. Becky is the fountain of the kind of down-home wisdom Dolly Parton might dish out, while Dawn is the endearing nervous wreck.
Then there’s Joe (Andy Griffith), the crabby owner of the pie diner where the waitresses work. With his endlessly picky food orders, one gets the sense he’s the grandfather of Sally in When Harry Met Sally. Still, as is the case with most salty old codgers in the movies, there’s more to Joe than sharp-tongued comebacks.
Actually, there are four major players in Jenna’s life, the fourth being her gift for creating wondrously imaginative pie recipes with colorful names like “I Hate My Husband Pie” and “I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie.” More than just being cute confections, however, these pies provide a potential escape from Jenna’s drudgery.
Normally I wouldn’t devote so much space to describing all these characters, but that’s evidence of how affecting Waitress is. Shelley deserves a great deal of credit for taking material that could have been too sugary or unbelievable and making it work with the right mix of ingredients.
Russell is nothing less than delectable in her role. Too many movies about nice girls mixed up with lousy guys make us wonder, “How in the world did a sloth like him end up with a jewel like her?” Not Waitress. Russell sells every moment, from the high flights of fancy with her pies to the low depths of life with Earl. Russell’s career has struggled somewhat because so few people have found the right way to use her talents. Waitress ought to give Hollywood a clue.
Griffith also deserves special mention. Waitress doesn’t just trot out an aging legend, have him bark a few lines, and expect us all simply to be grateful the old guy’s still around, like A Night at the Museum did with Mickey Rooney. Griffith has a real character to play, and the role is a lovely little gift.
In reviewing Waitress, it’s become obligatory to mention that Shelley was murdered last year after shooting wrapped. Indeed, it makes me sad that we won’t see any more movies from her. That stated, I prefer to dwell on the reason Shelley made Waitress in the first place: as a love letter to her daughter. That child is lucky to have a great memory album like this one, and we’re lucky Shelley shared it with us.
One final note: Do not see this movie if you’re hungry. Those luscious close-ups of all those pies will tie your stomach in knots. And you may as well forget about any diet, because you’ll crave pie for weeks. Order up!
GRADE: A
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Reviews
Comments
By SRCputt
May 31, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this
Thank you, Eric. And concerning the film: ditto.