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Waitress

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for Waitress PG-13 2007 1h 47m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 171 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jenna (Keri Russell) works in a diner in a small Southern town and is a genius at creating luscious desserts, but her marriage to an overbearing lout (Jeremy Sisto) makes happiness impossible. When she discovers she is pregnant, she makes plans to skip town before her condition is obvious. However, she begins an affair with the new town doctor (Nathan Fillion), who is the only one who knows her secret.
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Waitress

Waitress

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Shauna Lyon The New Yorker 02/10/2014
Shelly deftly achieves a tone pitched between fantasy and reality, its levity belying an astute and humane study of an unhappy relationship steeped in inertia. Go to Full Review
Wally Hammond Time Out 11/18/2011
3/5
Funny, gentle, unpatronising, if occasionally naive and quirky. Go to Full Review
Mark Bourne Film.com 11/28/2007
Waitress is not a perfectly cut, factory-line Safeway-brand slice. It does, though, serve up a generous deep-dish portion, homemade and heartfelt, that leaves a sweet taste goes down. Go to Full Review
Jonita Davis The Black Cape (Medium) 6d
For many millennial women, the film is the life we are trying to build right now, nearly two decades later, divorcees, empty-nesters, and perimenopausal, too. Finally, looking to create our own "pie shop" in life. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/26/2020
4.0/4.0
It's hard to picture an actress other than Russell so beautifully blending the drama, desperation, hopefulness, sweetness, and sensuality of her character. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia 08/26/2020
6/10
Adrienne Shelly's 'Waitress' is a bittersweet comedy-drama that has good intentions when it establish its romantic dilemmas, but I feel it lacks grace and emotionality. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Chris L @Christoph2000 17h A heartwarming story that made me beam with pride for a woman who, in a less quirky and loveable film might have come across as unbearable (those who knowingly sleep with taken people often are). However, Keri Russell's performance hits all the right notes and serves to remind us of her status as one of today's most underrated actors. I greatly admired Joe for not being the irredeemable rich prick audiences would suspect him of being, but this is a movie that sets out to subvert expectations and largely succeeds. Having empathy, passion and hope flow from the screen throughout a movie centred around infidelity is no mean feat, even more so here on account of an unplanned pregnancy and power imbalance, yet the late Adrienne Shelly (Dawn) wrote an admirable screenplay which somehow managed. Lags a little around the middle mark, but then along comes the final shot of Jenna with the one who reopened her world, and it's all so meaningful. Most enthusiastic about seeing Waitress: The Musical See more Meredith W @Dufflecoats Jan 7 "Waitress" tells the story of pie-making waitress Jenna trapped in an abusive marriage who discovers she's pregnant. With a secret affair with her doctor spicing up her life of yearning to win a pie contest as a means of escape, is far from your typical romantic comedy, which elevates it within the genre. The film balances difficult themes with humor, focusing on her journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and the complexities of love and difficult choices in a small town, with much of its success coming from the ensemble of support characters in Janna’s small-town world. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Nov 3 Funny in 1 hour and 47 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright 2007-2025 by 20th Century Studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, Language and Thematic Elements!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Jerry R @RT68621272 03/24/2025 There is only one thing to be said about this excellent movie, the performance of magnificent actress Keri Russell. Enjoy it! See more SkyRo P @TheMovieSearch 02/16/2025 I recently watched the 2007 film "Waitress," featuring Keri Russell in the lead role. The movie has a light comedic touch, but it leans more towards romance, telling the story of a woman trapped in a terrible relationship. She finds solace and escape in her passion for baking pies, dreaming of one day owning her own pie shop. Overall, I found the film quite enjoyable and watched it from start to finish. While I believe the stage play offers deeper character development and a richer portrayal of the protagonist, the film does explore her relationship with the doctor in greater detail. However, I felt that their connection developed too quickly, lacking a proper buildup, which can be attributed to some shortcomings in the screenwriting. The sudden shift from him being her gynecologist to a romantic interest felt a bit awkward. The cast did an amazing job in their respective roles. Personally, I preferred the portrayal of the character by the actress in the stage musical over the film's counterpart. Nonetheless, I believe the film was well-directed, with strong performances that effectively conveyed the emotional journey intended for the audience. I would definitely recommend it. See more Bob G @RT22332712 02/02/2025 Great actors having a really bad go at it. With a sappy, after school special story line. I couldn't even finish it. See more Read all reviews
Waitress

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jenna (Keri Russell) works in a diner in a small Southern town and is a genius at creating luscious desserts, but her marriage to an overbearing lout (Jeremy Sisto) makes happiness impossible. When she discovers she is pregnant, she makes plans to skip town before her condition is obvious. However, she begins an affair with the new town doctor (Nathan Fillion), who is the only one who knows her secret.
Director
Adrienne Shelly
Producer
Michael Roiff
Screenwriter
Adrienne Shelly
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
Night & Day Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 2, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.1M
Runtime
1h 47m
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