Review: Waitress (2007) ***
It has recently come to my attention that there just aren’t enough good movies about women. I hope I can be forgiven for not noticing this sooner. You see, I’m one of those people who pee standing up and one of my chromosomes is missing a leg. I don’t know. Maybe it affects my brain.
Anyway, when a decent film about a woman (and made by a woman) comes along, should we celebrate it or should we feel a little disappointed that the film in question isn’t a bit better? Maybe there is a third way. Maybe we should judge it the same way we would judge any other movie. Somehow with Waitress I’d like to do a little bit of all three. This is contradictory I know, but remember I’ve got that hinky chromosome.
Waitress was written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly who is probably best remembered for her roles in a number of independent films, most notably Hal Hartley’s The Unbelievable Truth and Trust. It’s a comedy starring Kerri Russell (Felicity) as Jenna, an unhappily married small town waitress who channels all of her feelings into the unique and wonderful pies she bakes for the local pie shop. Jenna dreams of hiding away enough of her earnings to escape from her abusive husband Jeremy Sisto (Six Feet Under) and open her own bakery. Her plans are short circuited however when she discovers she’s pregnant. Things take a further turn toward confusion when romantic sparks begin to fly between her and the handsome new doctor in town played by Nathan Fillion.
It sounds like serious business, but it’s played with a very light comical touch. Despite the darker undertones, the film rolls along in its gently humorous way as Jenna copes with the realities of being pregnant and pending motherhood.
Kerri Russell is great in the lead role. She’s easy to root for and her character is no wimp. In most areas of her life she manages to be strong willed, but somehow her resolve always seems to crumble when confronted with her monster of a husband. Russell plays it just right so this never feels like a contradiction. Russell has the best moment in the film as her wordless expression transforms across several scenes, illustrating the gamut of emotions stemming from her first romantic encounter with the good doctor. It’s a nice moment and it’s cleverly executed by Ms. Shelly.
Though Jenna herself feels almost like a flesh and blood person, the supporting characters are more of the rural cartoon variety. They’re not as sharply drawn or funny as what you might find in a Coen comedy, but they’re cut from a similar cloth and they’re all likeable enough.
Jenna’s two friends are the mouthy Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and the mousy Adrienne Shelly, fellow waitresses who provide support, humor and more importantly, subplots illustrating different varieties of love and romance. Nathan Fillion brings a likeably awkward charm that will be familiar to anyone who enjoyed his work in TV’s Firefly. Andy Griffith shines against type as the cranky restaurant owner whose only joys in life are the daily horoscope, the pie served in his restaurant, and making life difficult for the women who bring it to him; a task that usually falls upon Jenna who always manages it with a smile.
Jeremy Sisto is great as always as Jenna’s insecure, abusive husband. Though he’s given a layer of vulnerability that makes him more interesting, he’s unfortunately still a stock stereotype bad husband character and the movie suffers for it. Jenna’s ambivalence about being pregnant, the way the baby threatens to short circuit her budding plans for a better life, and the way her current life is not one in which to raise a child all would’ve had more gravity with a more realistic husband. More importantly, the ultimate outcome of the story would’ve been that much more satisfactory.
As it is, Waitress is more of a surface treatment that might be a little too neatly and predictably wrapped up for its own good. On the other hand, it certainly entertains and it also offers a positive message about not being afraid to start fresh no matter how far down a dead end you may have traveled. Maybe that’s enough after all.
Waitress. USA 2007. Written and Directed by Adrienne Shelly. Starring Kerri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelly, Edward Jemison, Jeremy Sisto and Andy Griffith. 1 hour 47 minutes. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, language and thematic elements. 3 stars (out of 5)
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Very witty opening Craig, and as always a well written review. I’m curious to read the reactions of people who have seen the film.
I, too, appreciated that opening paragraph.
It’s too bad that Keri Russell has been overlooked. She was great in a movie that, while not perfect, I enjoyed very much.
Kerri Russell was great. What’d you think of that scene I mentioned Alison after she kissed Dr. Pomatter and her expression gradually went from shock/horror to absolutely thrilled?
I loved that scene, or at least grew to love it: it felt too over the top at first, but Keri Russel’s baffled expression was so adorable, and her smile so radiant, it worked.
Somehow the longer it went on, the better it worked.
Like all the best things in life.
Agreed, Craig. And Keri Russell made it work.
Alison, sorry to take things off the topic here, but I’m curious about your reference to the cultural subtleties in Infernal Affairs over at AD. Are you familiar with the culture or did those aspects stand out from a general point of view?
I have a great interest in Chinese and Mongolian culture, film and literature, sartre. Believe it or not, this all started after I saw Disney’s Mulan. Obviously it was a Disney movie and I took it as such, not expecting any cultural accuracy or anything realistic. But it got me interested in learning about the culture.
There’s nothing that particularly stands out in the film from a general point of view. But in Chinese culture (and many cultures of that region) there’s great importance placed on honor, shame and keeping vs. losing face. It’s very subtle, but it’s there in Infernal Affairs. Those things have been altered in The Departed, as they would have never worked in a westernized setting.
If you haven’t seen the original, I highly recommend it. It stars Tony Leung, who is the counterpart to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character. He is a wonderful actor and deserves more recognition. Other films that played here in which he appears include Hero and In the Mood for Love.
Hero is one of my all-time favorite movies.
Don’t forget Lust, Caution Alison. Did you see that one?
Not yet. *hides*
But I saw a review in which the reviewer stated that the director was at the screening and fell asleep. I thought that was interesting.
I will see it. But I’ll have to catch it on DVD.
Thanks Alison. It’s always interesting to think about film from a cultural perspective and I appreciated hearing your thoughts. I’m a big fan of Infernal Affairs, In the Mood for Love (in particular), and Hero. But please, see Lust, Caution on the big screen! It’s a beautifully shot and powerfully performed film (currently number 4 in my top 5) and I’m sure you’ll welcome seeing it under the best conditions. The score is wonderful too. And the cultural elements are critical to this story. I promise you, there’ll be no going to sleep on your part. Craig’s review and its thread is a good place to visit after seeing the film, because it contains spoilers.
If you have a thing for Asian culture and Tony Leung, you ought to have a look Alison…unless you object to fairly graphic sex.
it’s not wall to wall sex, but one scene in particular is a doozy.
I had a difficlt time with the movie as I’ve admited, but I warmed up to it while thinking about it afterwards.
In the end, I think it was underappreciated. People just didn’t get it.
I should add, Craig’s review didn’t include spoilers, but the thread does.
Nah, graphic sex doesn’t bother me.
The interesting thing about the sex scenes is that they’re not just for the sake of controversy, they’re integral to the plot and character development.
They’re all the more shocking because so much of the movie exists in subtext and restrained/unspoken emotions.
Exactly why I found the film and their performances so outstanding. The evolving psychological subtext was so precisely and authentically expressed in the most demanding of acting contexts.
Well, this is still playing near me so I’ll make it my business to see it this week.
Just to add to the cultural discussion, the restrained/unspoken emotions that you speak of is something else that is very characteristic in Chinese culture. There tends to be a certain amount of discipline and stoicism (though they have a long history of violence).
I love Chinese film. Even the most tragic stories (and very many of them are tragic - there are rarely love stories with happy endings, for example) are poignant and beautifully realized. The literature tends to be the same.
The public social interactions between male and female characters in Lust, Caution are clearly reflective of social prescriptions. No more than Western ones but more striking given their exotic nature. But what also stands ot is how the film shows the subtle power dynamic at play between females - in particular using the context of playing mahjong.
Sounds interesting. And very typical. I will see it this week.
If you ever have a chance (and you’re interested) read the book “The Girl Who Played Go” by Shan Sa. There’s a similar thing going on with the game of Go, which is a strategy game. It’s close to, but not exactly like, the game of Othello.
The dynamic is a little different. The story takes place during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and in this story, a Manchurian girl ends up playing the game with a Japanese soldier who has infiltrated the town in disguise (he speaks the language). It’s tragic but very, very good.
Thanks for the recommendation, and look forward to reading your own reaction to the film.
Back to Waitress (sorry, I missed Lust, Caution): I thought it was a really poorly-made movie, shoddily written and directed. I could see why it would appeal to people (Russell’s performance, the standard wish-fulfillment of dumping your loutish husband for Dr. McDreamy), but I didn’t care for it.
My gay roommate liked it even less than I did, which was surprising because usually he’s a sucker for sentimental/romantic stuff.
Reversing the last sentence of your first paragraph, I can see why people wouldn’t buy into it, but somehow it worked on me a little. It got just enough right.
Yeah, that’s why I don’t want to go apeshit on people who like it. I didn’t think it was good but I certainly don’t think it was awful. It’s heart was in the right place.
What’s strange about writing reviews is I’m finding myself giving a free pass to certain things like Waitress but dumping on technically better movies like Juno. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but then I’m realizing movie opinions can’t always be rationalized. You can talk about writing and directing and acting and editing all you want, but sometimes a movie plays and sometimes it doesn’t.
Well, it is easy to dump on Juno. Waitress wasn’t hyped the way Juno is, so one can go easier on it. No expectations.
Granted, Juno has more substance than the average teen film. But I went to see the movie expecting an Oscar! film after everything I heard. What I saw was an enjoyable, funny and touching film, but not what I would consider a likely Oscar nominee.
So, I understand where you’re coming from, Craig.