The packed Sundance press and industry screening of Waitress wasn't too surprising considering the amount of attention the film has gotten due to the tragic murder of writer-director-actress Adrienne Shelly last November and the quick pick-up by Fox Searchlight over the weekend.
One probably can spend a lot of time dwelling on Shelly's murder when writing about her swan song or one can look past the negative and appreciate the fact that at least Shelly was able to complete her third and final film and that she'll achieve more fame and success post-morten by departing on a high point, which Waitress most certainly is.
The story centers around three waitresses who work at a smalltown Southern pie shop, in particular Jenna (Keri Russell), who has just learned she's pregnant from her abusive husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) and that she's carrying baby of a man she doesn't love anymore. But before you take your violin out of its case, this is actually a comedy.
Although the movie is mainly about Jenna's horror about having this baby, it's just as much about this lifestyle shared by so many women that end up working at these small restaurants, as much to get away from their troubles at home than to earn a living. In that sense, Waitress opens with some wonderful chattering banter between Jenna and her cohorts Becky (Cheryl Hines of "Curb Your Enthusiasm) and the bookish Dawn, played by Shelly herself, as Jenna learns that she's pregnant, having "accidentally" slept with her husband while drunk.
Keri Russell's performance is what makes Jenna such a truly memorable movie character, not just because of her dour thoughts on childbearing, but also due to her imaginative ability to come up with pies that reflect her mood like "I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie" and "Pregnant Miserable Self PItying Loser Pie." (Not surprisingly, the pies are a lot tastier than they sound even as we're shown their recipes.)
Shelly's roots in the Hal Hartley School of Flmmaking are fairly apparent from the fast-paced dialogue and the deadpan delivery, particularly by Russell, but Shelly's semi-romantic comedy is a lot more accessible than much of Hartley's work while doing more interesting things with normal mainstream rom-com formulas. In many ways, it's more like a TV comedy-drama in terms of the lovable characters and their interactions.
Sure, Waitress is very much the type of female-centric film that panders to women who think that men are just there to cause them trouble, whether it be Jenna's abusive husband played by Jeremy Sisto, the crusty pie shop owner Old Joe (a surprisingly endearing performance by Andy Griffith), or even the cranky cook Cal, played by Lew Temple. To counterbalance them, Shelly's film has its "prince charming" in the form of a nicely-cleaned-up Nathan Fillion as Jenna's good-looking gynecologist who she ends up having an affair with, much to both their chagrin. Considering what a complete bastard Earl is as he weighs the creative Jenna down with his needs and demands, you really can't blame her for wandering. Except for Earl, at least each of the men has their moment where we get to see their good sides, something rare in the rom-com genre, and even the creepy "stalking elf" (Eddie Jemison) who has become enamored with Dawn has moments where you can't help but fall in love with the spontaneous poetry he writes for her.
Shelly's writing is very strong overall, though one wonders if it would have worked nearly as well without such a perfectly cast ensemble, with many of the funniest laughs coming from Hines as Becky, the gabby busybody with a high-pitched voice, not unlike Flo from "Mel's Diner."
Ultimately, Waitress is cute, sweet and witty, and even when it gets a bit bogged down, it always finds a way to bounce back. It certainly will leave you wanting more and saddened that this was Shelly's last. Still, Fox Searchlight has another potential winner with this charming and highly accessible film that many women will love.
