June 6, 2007 -- “Waitress” is a brilliantly written, acted and directed romantic comedy that is funny, insightful, heartwarming, original and highly satisfying. It reminds me a bit of “Fried Green Tomatoes,” but it is better than that. It has to do sex, friendship, girl power, extra-marital affairs, loneliness, kindness shown to grumpy old men and a deep love of food. It is about how a little kindness can go a long way, but there is no substitute for a good strawberry pie.

Jenna (played by Keri Russell of “The Upside of Anger”) is a waitress who loves to bake pies. She has a gift for creating new pies and makes new pie creations every day at Joe's Diner in a small southern town. Jenna is very unhappy with her marriage to the abusive and controlling Earl (Jeremy Sisto of “Thirteen”). She hatches a plan to enter a pie baking contest. If she wins, she will have enough money to leave Earl. Her pregnancy, however, threatens to derail her plans. The movie takes place over a nine-month period, beginning when she discovers she is pregnant and ending with the birth of her baby. In between, a lot of stuff happens, including her affair with her doctor, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion of “Serenity”). She is also worried that her boss will fire her when he learns she is pregnant. Jenna also has to worry about the grumpy and demanding owner of the diner, Joe (played by the iconic Andy Griffith), who has guessed much of the truth about what is happening in her life. He seems to be content to keep it to himself, so far.

There is a lot of activity at the diner, mostly revolving around the three waitresses, Jenna, Becky (Cheryl Hines of “RV”) and Dawn (played by the late Adrienne Shelly, who also wrote and directed this film). Another key figure at the diner is the dour manager, Cal (Lew Temple of “Deja Vu”). Another odd character is Ogie (Eddie Jemison of “Ocean's 12”), a determined suitor and cornball poet who won't take no for an answer. In addition to everything else, Dawn is having a secret affair with somebody and won't even tell her closest friends who it is. The characters are sharply drawn and quirky. The performances are all spot-on and restrained, so neither the comedy, nor the drama go over the top. This is a story about a pregnant woman who is very afraid to have her baby, but who eventually finds the courage she needs in the place she least expects it, right in the heart of her fear. This is a real girl power movie, but the men in the cast are played with some sensitivity as well. They aren't all complete idiots. The women aren't all-knowing either, but they are sufficient unto themselves.

This is a movie as sweet as any of the mouth-watering pies featured in it. It is good-natured, uplifting, but at the same time it has sharp, unflattering insights into love, marriage and life. This movie has just the right recipe for success. The casting, and the acting, are perfect. The writing is smart, funny, and emotionally powerful. The only thing sad about it is that this is the last movie that Adrienne Shelly ever made, or ever will make. That is a tragic loss. We desperately need more movies like this. This little indie film is orders of magnitude better than all but a handful of Hollywood comedies in the last 10 years. This film rates an A. It is one of the best films of the year.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2007 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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