"MTTM" (#6) - Waitress

a film by Adrienne Shelly

ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS
Jenna, a small town woman with a penchant for making extrodinary pies, struggles to find happiness in spite of her undesireable circumstances.

HER TAKE
Waitress is the story of Jenna (Keri Russell), a small town woman who possesses an extraordinary talent for baking delicious and savory pies, inspired by her reactions to events in her life (“Pregnant Miserable Self Pitying Loser Pie... Lumpy oatmeal with fruitcake mashed in. Flambé of course.” for example.) She is unhappily married to Earl (Jeremy Sisto), a controlling and insecure man who, despite his love for her, unknowingly repulses her. Her two best friends support and commiserate with her while the same desire to be happy weighs upon them as well.

We follow Jenna as her life plods along until she discovers she is pregnant, which is where the story really takes off. From there it’s a series of very high highs and very low lows (and everything between) as she juggles her friends, husband, new doctor and her own hopes and dreams.

I can’t remember the last Keri Russell performance I was impressed with…it may have been back in her Mickey Mouse Club days, I don’t know, but I have to say “well done!” to her now. She has finally rid herself of any "Felicity" vestiges and has clearly stepped up to the plate. She makes Jenna human and flawed but loveable in spite of it all. And while I usually have no patience for women in situations such as Jenna’s, I found that here, I didn’t mind because I knew somehow I would be rewarded at some point by her changing her circumstances for the better. And rewarded I was—Jenna’s moment of clarity is heartwarming and inspiring.

As for the subplots and supporting characters, I found none to be too overbearing or lacking in any detail. The entire story flowed seamlessly without becoming boring or disjointed. Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelly and Nathan Fillion round out the cast nicely and add their own quirky traits to the pile.

I really enjoyed writer/director(/actress) Adrienne Shelly’s perspective work in this film. The direct shots of the pies being made in Jenna’s head, the zooming in on Jenna as she experiences her inspirations, really stick out in my mind. Also the use of vibrant pastel colors reinforced the 50s diner feel.

This film is one I will recommend but it clearly caters to feminine experiences, emotions and situations. But don’t let that fool you, guys. It’s not at all another How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Wedding Planner or 13 Going on 30. Rather it takes a deeper, more realistic and meaningful look at life and the pursuit of happiness. Despite the general unhappiness of its characters, this film is surprisingly uplifting. I’m sorry that we will not be able to see what Adrienne Shelly would have followed this up with. Shelly was murdered during the robbery of her apartment in New York City before the filming of Waitress had been completed.

HIS TAKE

Continuing the comedy trend of 2007… that pregnant woman are hilarious (Knocked Up, Juno) comes Waitress, the little indie that started it all way back in January at the Sundance Film Festival.

And hey, some trends get started for a reason because this Waitress is a pretty solid serving.

Still, I’m surprised it’s taken Keri Russell so long to secure a starring role in a feature film. Since graduating from her popular role as TV’s “Felicity” in 2002, Russell has popped up in films like The Upside of Anger and Mission: Impossible III without much fanfare (and without much of a role either).

It won’t take this long again.

Reminding the world why they fell in love with her in the first place, Russell is surprisingly glowing in Waitress. She plays Jenna, a downtrodden Southern waitress and pie fanatic who’s married to a needy, abusive man (Jeremy Sisto) that Jenna has been saving up money to leave. She’s been hiding money under furniture and in cabinets all over the house; her plans revolving around entering a pie-making contest in a nearby town and using the winnings to help fund her flee from Earl and the start of a new life.

Then starts a new life… inside of Jenna.

Yep, from a drunken, doubtlessly unsatisfying, lovemaking session with Earl (his sexual prowess is later revealed) months earlier, Jenna’s pregnant. She doesn’t want the baby. She’s gonna have the baby mind you, but just don’t congratulate her about it. From then on, Jenna deals with her pregnancy with the helps of her awkwardly uncommunicative gynecologist (Nathan Fillion) and her fellow Joe’s Pie Diner waitresses in a distinctive and unique fashion, she makes pies, she laments her luck and she starts a baby journal.

What results is a surprisingly filling and delightful comedy that relies mostly on the idiosyncrasies of its characters and good-natured laughs (Waitress never once stops to makes fun of its characters like Jared Hess’ lesser comedies Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre do). The best character of all is Old Joe, played as a lovable old curmudgeon by none other than Andy Griffith himself. His character is a familiar relic from past movies, guiding our heroine down the right path that he himself missed out on, but for some reason it plays as brand new coming from Griffith and is a beautiful send-up of his television personality. He’s got a sly smile that only materializes when he talks to Jenna and eats the pies she prepares each day.

The film is far from perfect, especially the somewhat predictable and formulaic ending and its faulty morals (wedding rings in this movie mean about as much as a Cracker Jack prize… everybody cheats) but the movie manages to overcome it, mostly because of just how sweet it is. It feels sincere, even in its faults. It’s a lovely film.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Adrienne Shelley (who plays one of Jenna’s co-workers at the diner and also directed the picture) was murdered after the making of the film. It’s a sad tragedy that the world was deprived of Shelly and her obviously naturally cheerful self. Waitress as a film would not have the same charming spirit without her.

HER RESPONSE

Oh my goodness! We've finally matched up on a review! And how nice since it's our last one for a little while. Ummmm I don't really know what to say when we agree? Go see Waitress, the MTTM team gives it a solid 4 stars!

HIS RESPONSE

Being possibly the last incarnation of "Married to the Movies" (or at least the last for some time)... it's nice to go out on a high note. I'd place Waitress at the top of the films we've reviewed thus far (marginally ahead of both Rescue Dawn and Away From Her). I wish I could have spent more time praising the work of the supporting cast, so I'm glad that you got in some mention of Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Nathan Fillion (Serenity) and Shelly herself, because all do some great work here. But the real star is Russell, who honestly manages to come across as a find, a brand new star... nearly a decade after "Felicity" debuted.

written by Brian and Rebecca