Movies: Waitress

[My Mom has been wanting to see this movie for awhile, so we all went on the night before Father's Day. The other people in the theatre were fairly rude (how hard is it to be quiet during a movie?), and at times it was difficult to concentrate on the film. I've taken this into account in my rating.]

"Waitress" is sort of like "Felicity" meets "Like Water For Chocolate" - sex, love, and self-awareness all set against the backdrop of lots and lots of pie-baking. Keri Russell plays Jenna, a small-town waitress stuck in a horrible marriage. When she finds out that she's pregnant and that her doctor (played by Nathan "Still looking for a steady job after Firefly" Fillion) is falling in love with her, hijinks ensue.

I'm probably not the target audience for such a film, but I mostly liked it. There's some subtle humor, and the characters are more than just one-note caricatures. Jenna's awful husband, for example, is alternately domineering and pitiful, making him more than just a straight villain. The various relationships that are highlighted in the movie are often comical, but they do say something about the nature of love and happiness.

The movie does slightly overstay its welcome. I wish the plot was tightened up, and the forces holding Jenna down in her life are never fully portrayed. In a side note, writer/director Adrienne Shelly (who also plays a substantial supporting role in the movie) was apparently murdered before the film premiered at Sundance. If "Waitress" is any indication of what her future was going to be like, than the loss is even harder to take.

Rating: 8/10