Waitress
Friday, 10 Aug 2007 18:01
Waitress
Directed by Adrienne Shelly, out now in cinemas, starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Andy Griffith, running time 107 minutes.
In a nutshell
Sweet but half-baked
What's it all about?
Jenna Hunterson (Keri Russell) is a waitress in a small town restaurant somewhere in the Deep South. Her best friends are her fellow-waitresses Dawn (Shelley) and Becky (Hines) as well as the restaurant owner Joe (Griffith).
Her passion in life is making pies and she invents one every day, many of which are inspired by her own moods and feelings. Jenna is stuck in a dead-end marriage with her selfish, controlling brute of a husband, Earl (Sisto). Therefore when she discovers that she is pregnant, Jenna does not take the news well. Until, that is, she meets her handsome gynaecologist Dr Pomatter (Fillion).
Throughout her pregnancy, Jenna engages in a passionate affair with Dr Pomatter despite the fact that he is also married. Realising that the relationship is the most eye-opening experience of her life, Jenna begins asking herself some questions about the choices she has made and those that she will make in the future.
Who's in it?
Waitress is the last film by writer, director and actress Adrienne Shelley before she was tragically murdered. As well as writing and directing the film, Shelley puts in a quaint turn as the self-deprecating but optimistic Dawn.
Keri Russell is probably best known to most as the one who dies in Mission Impossible III. Her performance in Waitress is subtle and intelligent, giving the audience a Jenna who is vulnerable yet strong. Her simple eloquence and expressive face ensure that she is impossible not to love and this makes for an enthralling interest to engage with her character.
In fact, the small but perfectly assembled cast is probably the best thing about this film. Bursting with charisma and loaded with witty quips, they bring this small town to life.
As an example
"I don't want no baby. I don't want no trouble. I just wanna make pies." – Jenna, on discovering she is pregnant.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Waitress opened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and has won three awards to date. However, the film is probably too quirky and too much of a feel-good movie to win over the Academy panel.
What the others say
"An unassuming treat amid the noisy blockbuster season. It'll melt your heart and any dietary resolve equally." – Empire
"There are moments in 'Waitress' that feel a little too saccharine, such as when Jenna sings the words of a lullaby, "Gonna bake a pie with a heart in the middle." These sit a little oddly beside the film's wonderfully black humour." - Uncut
So is it any good?
Waitress opens with lingering shots of a variety of delectable pies being crafted and filled. But the film turns out not to be as gooey or sweet as the treacly substances we see being poured into pies throughout the film, which often views like a long M&S food advert.
Indeed, the vast majority of Waitress is a perfectly put together charm of a movie that is coloured by unforgettable characterisation and a certain depth and sensitivity to women's needs that is unusual for a rom-com. However, all credibility fades with the clumping, predictable and cloyingly sweet ending.
All the interesting and perceptive questions that are raised during the course of the film are wrapped up neatly and in a manner that is difficult to find credible. Its subtle switches between comedy and despair are sacrificed for a standard fairy-tale happy outcome. All in all, Waitress is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging film for the most part, but its relentlessly twee conclusion is guaranteed to leave you as unsatisfied as watching two hours of delicious pies on an empty stomach.
6/10
Natasha Hegde
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