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Waitress (2007)

Director: Adrienne Shelly

Time Out rating

Average user rating

19 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Her husband’s a frightening, chauvinist pig, her boar-faced boss at the diner’s a monosyllabic tyrant and she’s seven weeks overdue – but, boy, can perky, pretty, pinafore-ed, Picayune princess Jenna (Keri Russell) bake a cherry pie! Her pies are the best in the county – even gruff old Joe (Andy Griffith), the owner, says so. But, oh lordy, a baby would shackle her to that beast of a beau and now she’ll never get to realise her life’s ambition: to take part in the annual bake-off in Jonesville. Hasn’t she got enough problems to worry about without the new ones given to her by the unprofessional attentions of her dippy, doe-eyed, new doctor, Pomatter (Nathan Fillion)?

Many readers will have heard of the sad fate of one-time Hal Hartley actress Adrienne Shelly, randomly killed recently. So it’s hard not to ascribe extra pathos to this, the kooky actress’s new indie movie, not least because her funny, gentle, unpatronising, if occasionally naive and quirky portrait of smalltown Southern life is unusual in being sensitive, supportive and more attuned to women’s concerns than is usual in mainstream Hollywood movies, and takes as its central theme the complex, contradictory fears induced by impending motherhood. Shelly obviously felt at home among these ‘ornery Louisiana folk – she herself plays ‘pasty pastry’-skinned Dawn, one of the diner’s trio of talkative table jockeys and brings nice performances from her actors, including an appealing central one for Russell. Be warned, however, she does succumb to repetition and displays some annoying tropes, not least in inviting her cast too often to loom close to the camera’s fish-eye lens. Wally Hammond

Author: Wally Hammond

Time Out London Issue 1929: August 8-14 2007

User reviews of this film

usman khawaja said...

Posted on Apr 21 2008 17:36 A DELICIOUS PIE
I was due for an extremely pleasant surprise in the form of this small indie movie which tells the delicious tale of three waitresses working in a SMALL diner.
The lead keri russel is a truly accomplished actress who is trapped in a loveless marriage and ends up getting pregnant ,this sets the stage for a great farce on modern day relationships and the validity of marriage as a tradition in todays world.Mr micheal roiff tells the story in a really subtle but charmingly naive movie ,which delivers its message just as efficiently as jenna [keri russel] bakes her pies while being abused by her uncouth husband continuously .
this is a marital farce enen moliere would have been proud of as jenna embarks on a clandestine affair with her obstetrician played in a very stoically charming manner by nathan fillion ,as every character deceives their respective partners ,the makers deliver a hugely satisfying and brillianty scripted flick which will bring a smile to the faces of the most miserablly sceptical critics ,but in the end its a personal triumph for the screen writer who throws some of the best lines written in recent times through the wonderfully charismatic presence of keri russel.
I hope and pray we get served more often by waitresses like these as they will surely make the world a more meaningful place as well as more entertaining .- jbz7879

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SimpleSimon said...

Posted on Jan 09 2008 18:19 I absolutely loved this film - every single minute of it! Definitely a 5 star film.

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Nick said...

Posted on Oct 10 2007 10:48 Like a weak episode of any australian soap opera. So boring I had to walk out 30 minutes before the ending.

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Sarah said...

Posted on Aug 21 2007 15:15 I don't know how this movie ends, I had to leave the cinema before I screamed. One of the worst movies I've seen in a very long time. A film that tries to be deep but misses almost every time.

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John Cooper said...

Posted on Aug 17 2007 12:51 Once you accept the central conceit, ie . . that attractive,
intelligent Jenna (Keri Russell ) has at some time made the disastrous decision to marry her unbelievably unlikable and chauvinistic hushand, you realize that the film is really a 'fable' about the importance of taking control of your life, which is , at the same time, sympathetic to
those who have to compromise morally in order to find
some moments of happiness. Life isn't fair and you just
have to do the best you can without succombing to
ignoble stategies of manipulation and deception. Adrienne Shelley has produced a heart-warming film
with the message . .. yes, . . you can make mistakes . . but it's never too late to do the right thing.

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Margret Geraghty said...

Posted on Aug 14 2007 13:38 This is not a film about pies, waitressing or even being pregnant. It's a film about choices and how the choices we make affect our futures. The choices Jenna makes throughout the film are what drives the plot. By choosing not to have an abortion, by choosing not to continue her affair with her doctor, by choosing to follow her dream and raise her baby alone, she takes control of her future in a way that leaves the audience with the sour-sweet feeling that this film is really about them and the choices they make in their own lives.

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Simon said...

Posted on Aug 13 2007 21:58 Repetitive and trite - chick flick for dumb pre-teens. And how interesting are pie recipes for ***** sake?

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edith said...

Posted on Jun 30 2007 17:02 worst movie I've seen in a long time

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