A bright , easy to like technicolored comedy that details the simple truths of trying to find happiness when you live in nowheresville and everyone is in your shit.
Waitress (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:160
Fresh:142
Rotten:18
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: Sweet, smart, and quirky, Waitress hits the right, bittersweet notes through this romantic comedy through its witty script and a superb performance by Keri Russell.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language, drug use and some sexual content
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:May 2, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $18,699,775
Synopsis: An audience hit at the Sundance Film Festival, WAITRESS serves up a sweet, sassy and delicious slice of life tale -- as it reveals the power of friendship, motherhood and the willingness to take a... An audience hit at the Sundance Film Festival, WAITRESS serves up a sweet, sassy and delicious slice of life tale -- as it reveals the power of friendship, motherhood and the willingness to take a chance. It's the story of a small town woman who transforms her hopeless life into a hilarious and unexpected love story. This vibrantly different romantic comedy is the final film from writer-director Adrienne Shelly. Starring in the title role, Keri Russell (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER) leads a dynamic cast as a diner waitress stuck in a lousy marriage whose only solace is baking out-of-this-world pies. When the awkwardly charming new OB-GYN, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion, SERINITY), comes to town, she's inspired to mix-master her life into something far more satisfying. WAITRESS will surely do for pie making what SIDEWAYS did for Pinot Noir. As a favorite waitress at Joe's Diner, Jenna (Russell) is also a "pie genius," naming her tantalizing confections after the tumultuous events and emotions of her daily life. She's hoping that one of her pastries, like her "Kick In The Pants" Pie, might even change her life – if she can just win that $25,000 pie contest. But when Jenna discovers that she's pregnant, she immediately bakes an "I Don't Want Earl's Baby" Pie – a quiche of egg and cheese with a smoked ham center. After all, her husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto, THIRTEEN, SIX FEET UNDER) is a jealous jerk that is essentially a child himself and the last thing they need to do is start a family together. But the pregnancy eventually changes the course of events in her life, giving her an unexpected and newfound confidence via letters to her unborn baby. WAITRESS also stars Emmy® nominee Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm," RV) and Adrienne Shelly (THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH, TRUST) as Jenna's quick-tongued fellow waitresses along with classic television star Andy Griffith ("The Andy Griffith Show," "Matlock") as the curmudgeonly Old Joe of Joe's Diner. Fox Searchlight presents a Night and Day production of WAITRESS, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. The producer is Michael Roiff and the executive producers are Todd King, Jeff Rose, Danielle Renfrew and Robert Bauer. The behind-the-scenes talent includes director of photography Matthew Irving (WAITING, DALTRY CALHOUN, NORTHFORK), production designer Ramsay Avery (TEAM AMERICA), editor Annette Davey (SORRY, HATERS) and composer Andrew Hollander (GRAY MATTERS). --© Fox Searchlight Pictures [More]
Starring: Keri Russell, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Nathan Fillion
Starring: Keri Russell, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Nathan Fillion, Andy Griffith, Eddie Jemison
Director: Adrienne Shelly
Director: Adrienne Shelly
Screenwriter: Adrienne Shelly
Producer: Michael Roiff
Composer: Andrew Hollander
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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Reviews for Waitress
Though contrived and artificial in ways that don't always work, the film is also heartfelt and made with genuine affection for its characters, qualities in too short a supply to dismiss.
The pregancy news depresses her, which is exactly the opposite response of women in most chick flicks.
A feminist fairy tale about a woman learning to develop her creative gifts while trapped in a stifling marriage, Waitress doesn't need to be subtle or original to hit home.
While Shelly's stylized vision and sentimental intentions don't always gel, they do result in a warm, often charming fantasy.
Waitress runs on a bit, but with its strong acting, poignant moments, and fair share of laughs, it has the potential to become a modest hit.
Waitress is finely tuned, assured, wonderfully silly, and every bit as lovely as Shelly was.
It is a bittersweet experience watching the uniquely adorable "Waitress" because indie actress Adrienne Shelly, murdered in New York City this past November, has come into her own as a filmmaker with this, her third film.
Washed in a honeyed 1950s glow, Waitress has a mildly puckish way with outlandish baked goods and pert dialogue.
The film is laced with lovely moments, from the leads and from Shelly as a waitress friend.
Waitress is a wee romantic charmer, a delectable Dixie screwball romp that never loses its spry sense of discovery.
Russell delicately maintains Waitress' mixture of aching drama and bubbly comedy.
Shelly left her daughter -- and her audience -- a wonderful gift, this movie about the transforming effects of motherhood.
Though some aspects feel like a sitcom, Waitress doesn't adhere to formula or resort to clichés. It's a rare chick flick that draws us in with its wit, warmth and quirkily appealing characters.
Waitress would stand on its own as a remarkable achievement if you knew absolutely nothing about the woman who made it.
In the end, Shelly's script for Waitress has a pleasingly tart undertone that balances out what could have been an overly sugary confection. And she directs with a skill that makes me wish we could look forward to many more films from her.
There no way around it: Russell's performance is spunky and just about irresistible, no matter how much you hate spunk. It's hard to imagine Waitress working without her.
Sometimes one really fine performance can save a whole movie, and that's the case with Waitress.
Waitress is a pleasant dramatic comedy that overcomes its tonal inconsistencies by presenting an engaging lead character with whom its virtually impossible not to empathize.
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