Waitress Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)June 12th, 2007
"Waitress" - Serves up a Little Slice of Life
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
In "Waitress", the slice-of-life that the film
presents in a little Southern town is like a pie
that is low in fat, low on fillers, and yet
possesses a naturally sweet flavor. It's not as
bland as a quiche. It's not as confectionary as
a Boston Cream Pie. No, it's more like Sweet
Potato Pie.
The film features a trio of likeable waitresses
who have personal lives peppered with
disappointment, loneliness, and unfulfilled
dreams. The trio includes Dawn (Adrienne Shelly)
and Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Jenna (Keri
Russell). Much of the focus of the film is on
Jenna and her dolt of a husband named Earl
(Jeremy Sisto). Faced with mounting frustration
and a claustrophobic relationship Jenna's
creative mind turns not to violence but to baking
pies. And, from the eclectic mixture of
ingredients to their crazy names, what wonderful
pies they are. An ongoing, whimsical peek into
her mind shows her venting her mood by inventing
new pies with new pie names. On a good day,
she'll whip up her Falling in Love Pie. On a day
of bad news, she'll create Bad Baby Pie. When
she feels a little bit frisky, she'll create
Naughty Pumpkin Pie. With Jenna's ability to
create new pies, it's like the Cheesecake Factory
changing their cheesecake offerings on a daily
basis.
Yet for all her talent, Jenna is an unhappy
waitress in a small-town diner. Her marriage to
a hapless spouse has her yearning for a better
life. Complicating matters is her pregnancy with
Earl's child. Her expectancy is unbeknownst to
Earl who thinks that the bulge in her belly is
probably the side effect of Jenna tasting too
many of her own pies.
Her only outlets of salvation are a Pie Contest
at a state fair where the grand prize is $25,000.
That would be enough to help her start a new
life and to even open up her own bakery. Of
course Earl doesn't want her to leave him to
compete, being the lonely milksop that he is.
And there is also a hunky obstetrician (Nathan
Fillion) that has just moved into town whose mix
of kindness and insecurity is like the missing
ingredient needed to spice up her life.
"Waitress" is not an exciting film or a dramatic
film. But it is a pleasant film. The characters
all possess well-defined stories and quirky
personalities. Kudos goes to Keri Russell who
turns in a fine performance as the title
character. And a
sometimes-crabby/sometimes-avuncular Andy
Griffith displays acting gold as the curmudgeonly
diner-owner who has a soft spot for Jenna. His
description of Jenna's Chocolate-Strawberry Pie
rivals in poetry and imagination that great
snippet about Pinot Grapes from the film
"Sideways". For all the dollops of summertime
confection and special effects that we get,
sometimes it's good to have something a little
bit more all-natural.
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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