Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Micransix Crappy film

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

sharky_55 Waitress has the kitschy, quirky eccentricity of a TV sitcom, and the musical cues to go along with it. When Jenna first throws herself into the arms of the new doctor, their tight embrace and kiss is accompanied by an operatic fanfare, and the world starts spinning around in giddy joy. On the opposite side of the spectrum are her nightmares of a naughty child's tantrum coming to life right before her eyes, with Wagner's Flight of the Valkyries accentuating her fears. When the relationship is finally consummated the world rushes past her as a big smile is plastered upon her face - the blooming romance is like a jolt of lightning to her modest, small town existence. True to the setting the characters all speak with hammy southern accents and a generous dose of droll sarcasm; they know they don't amount to much, but they know this and can also poke fun at themselves. Jenna Hunterson finds herself stuck in the middle of a waitress gradient - on the right is the blonde barbie doll that is Becky, and on the left Dawn, who is attractive but seldom shows it, and almost always hides herself behind Ugly Betty-style glasses. Jenna is the plain yet pretty one, and the pie whiz. Waitress fully acknowledges how music and food are valuable commodities that are passed down from generation to generation, and how for a lonely waitress they can be both comforting and an avenue to vent frustrations. Jenna isn't only good at making pies that taste delicious, she's also able to pack them full of character and feeling. The best of the zany comedy in Waitress comes from her aptly and often aggressively named pies that represent her current dilemma, whether its the confusions surrounding an affair or the worries of being a future mother. Her handiwork takes note; berries are pulverised, chocolate is smothered, fruitcake is smashed and mashed. The biggest obstacle in Jenna's path is her mean abuser of a husband, Earl. He's one of those typical deadbeat partners,and one of those husbands who feel the need to physically assert their relationship because they are insecure about its longevity. Earl says things like "I feed you, I pay for the house. Do what I tell you, and I won't get mad." A man in a loving marriage would never think of needing to spell this out and fish for gratitude. And yet, the film doesn't make him out to be a complete monster, and argues that even horrible people like Earl deserve better than to have their feelings hurt behind their back. That's expressed through a lovely sentiment from Andy Griffith as the diner owner, who begins initially as the familiar elderly oddball but secretly slips up now and again, reminding us that good advice can sometimes come from the most surprising sources. It is a testament to the writing that we agree with his every word, and yet still want Jenna to be swept off her feet by the fresh-faced, goofy doctor and to ride far away on the back of a stallion. Next to Earl's sweaty embraces, Doctor Jim is practically a knight in shining armour. Most rom-coms rarely have the nuance to be able to connect the main storyline of infidelity and ask the audience to also consider the side characters and their tricky affairs. The movie has a tragic undertone to its creation, in which writer/director Adrienne Shelly was murdered before she could see its acceptance into Sundance. One of her great personal achievements was to go through the full production whilst also juggling the same predicament of Jenna's - she wrote the script as she was 8 months pregnant, trying to confront her fears of impending motherhood and pondering the enormous pressures that society puts upon women when they do not act womanly (eg. not wanting to have and raise kids). It is her daughter Sophie who plays the young Lulu in the epilogue, bringing both story and reality full circle. What shines through is Shelly's determination and warmth directed at her career as well as her daughter - Jenna is struck with the same concerns, but she never allows others to dictate how she is meant to feel. We know through her actions and her pies that she is a good person, and also recognises that quality in those surrounding her. That is what enables her to do the right thing by breaking off the affair with Jim, and that is how she earns the happy ending.

JohnHowardReid Yes, we have two movies of the same name released in the same year. This one is not really a comedy, although it is advertised as such and does indeed have its comic moments. It's a sad picture really, its poignancy rendered even more chillingly dramatic by the murder of writer/director/player Adrienne Shelly by an intruder in her New York office/apartment halfway through 2006. Presumably, the movie was edited without her guidelines and it simply runs too long. I'm sure that had she lived, Adrienne would have trimmed the first half of the movie which tends to be both repetitious and inconsequential and even – let's fact it! – boring! With the entrance of the new doctor, however, the last half of the movie becomes very poignant and I'm not really giving anything away by saying that it comes to a rather downbeat conclusion that is not unexpected but still rather sad. Admittedly, a New York reviewer had the opposite response – "Leaves you feeling good!" he wrote. Admittedly, performances are good all around, and as the lead character, Keri Russell is nothing short of outstanding! The superb 20th Century Fox DVD has some wonderful extras.

Jackson Booth-Millard I heard about this independent film, which I really wanted to see, because I knew the writer and director Adrienne Shelly died not long after filming had finished, and not long before it was headlining a film festival, I assumed her death was either an accident or suicide, I had no idea she was murdered! Basically Jenna Hunterson (Dark Skies' Keri Russell) works at Joe's Diner in a small town in the American South as a waitress, inventing many varieties of delicious pies, she hopes to get away from her abusive husband Earl Hunterson (Jeremy Sisto), and has been saving a thousand and hidden it around the house. Her plans suddenly change when she finds herself pregnant with her husband's baby, this is not something she wants but is going to give birth, and it certainly urges her more to enter a pie baking contest to win the $25,000 prize. Tracking Jenna's pregnancy progress is new physician Dr. Jim Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), who at first she is unwilling to talk to much seeing how he is not her usual doctor she has known since childhood, and of course she shows no enthusiasm for the unborn child. She hides this pregnancy for her grouchy boss Cal (Lew Temple) as she is sure he will fire her, but actually he doesn't care, and continuing work she bonds with her only friends, co-workers Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), and cantankerous diner owner Old Joe (Andy Griffith) who offers her wisdom. As Jenna spends more time with Dr. Pomatter, who is also married himself, they start seeing each other both in and out of the medical office and having mutual attraction start an affair, and of course he enjoys her delectable pies. The baby is nearing the point of coming out, there is a point when Earl obviously knows she is pregnant, but also discovers the hidden money and she is forced to pretend it is for a baby crib, which she buys with her saved money. Jenna ends the affair with Dr. Pomatter, has a visit from Old Joe who is being treated himself, and soon after she gives birth to a baby girl, it turns out to be something she is really happy about, and bonding with the child she finds the strength to be blunt to Earl and say that she hasn't loved him for years. She is upset to find out that Joe went into a coma and will most likely die, but she remembered he gave her an envelope before the birth, it is a hand-drawn card sketch, and also she is shocked to receive a cheque for $270,450, with a message to start her life afresh. The final scenes see Jenna and her girl she named Lulu (as a toddler played by Shelley's real daughter Sophie Ostroy) bonding joyfully, she does win the pie baking contest, and she taken over the diner renamed Lulu's Pies where her friends and customer enjoy the brightly coloured pies served everyday. Also starring Eddie Jemison as Ogie and Darby Stanchfield as Francine Pomatter. Russell gives a really sweet performance as the woman passionate about pies and trying to find herself while finding new love, Fillion is likable as the doctor and love interest, and the supporting cast members all do well, including Shelley as an eccentric fellow waitress, the story is nice and simple, flows really nicely mixing well though funny, loving and dramatic moments, including with the subjects of motherhood and unhappy marriage, and the pies look really nice, it is such a shame what happened to Shelley, as this is a really heartwarming romantic comedy. Very good!

Desertman84 Waitress is a comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who also appears in a supporting role.Incidentally,it was the final film from actress/filmmaker.The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah just months after the director was discovered dead in her New York City apartment -- the victim of a homicide.Keri Russell plays Jenna, a waitress living in the American South, who is trapped in an unhappy marriage with the abusive Earl,played by Jeremy Sisto. She works in Joe's Pie Diner, where her job includes creating inventive pies with unusual titles inspired by her life, such as the "Bad Baby Pie" she invents after her unwanted pregnancy is confirmed. Jenna longs to run away from her dismal marriage, and is slowly accumulating money to do so. She pins her hopes for escape on a pie contest in a nearby town, which offers a $25,000 grand prize, but her husband won't let her go. Her only friends are coworkers Becky and Dawn ,and Joe, the curmudgeonly owner of the diner and several other local businesses, who encourages her to begin a new life elsewhere.Jenna's life changes after she meets her new physician, Jim Pomatter,portrayed by Nathan Fillion.She fears that her dreams are all but dead when handsome Dr. Pomatter reveals that she is soon to become a mother. As Jenna begins penning a series of letters to her unborn baby, her life starts to change for the better in ways she never could have imagined. Adrienne Shelly's lasting legacy is this exquisite, engaging film about slices of life.The performances are more than satisfactory as Keri Russell is luminous as Jenna and Jeremy Sisto plays excellent as her abusive husband as he was able to make his abhorrent character relatable.Obviously,it is a small movie set in a small town, and features actors who were most famous for parts on the small screen. but nevertheless,it also just happens to be one of the more entertaining movies of the year.