Review

Review Date: 13-May-07
Spoiler Rating: High
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Waitress (2007)

"Waitress" is a country song masquerading as a chick flick. Of all its grace notes I would cite its down-home, sometimes dirty and desperate mood as its finest, since that's what makes it unlike any other movie I have seen. Part drama, part comedy, part romance (I guess), "Waitress" is a welcome work of originality that deserves to get stuck in your head.

Written and directed by Adrienne Shelly (who was, sadly, murdered before its release), the movie deals with the tragically common problem of people who let their lives bog down in unfulfilling relationships or situations. Jenna (the lovely Keri Russell) lives in a small Southern town and works in a diner where she excels in the inventing and making of pies. (Mmmm, such pies!) Although she does thus exercise her talent and passion, she goes home every night to a domineering husband (Jeremy Sisto) whom she loathes profoundly. Worse, she comes down with a bad case of pregnancy which puts a kink in her plans to leave the loser and strike out on her own.

I'm fairly sure no chick flick ever had a heroine so openly disgusted by the thought of motherhood (Jenna rejects abortion but considers selling the child for money), but there is little that's ordinary or soft about this picture. Everyone who touches Jenna's life has made a mess of their own, including one girlfriend at the diner (Cheryl Hines) who is cheating on her invalid husband with their manager, and the other (the multitalented Shelly) who accepts a creepy suitor because he's the only game in town. Jenna's male friends don't fare much better, although each is marvelous in his own way and gives her a lesson in self-worth. I can't decide who is sweeter, the married obstetrician with whom she indulges a mutual attraction (played by the indescribably delicious Nathan Fillion), or the cranky codger who owns the diner and encourages her to break free (Andy Griffith, as charming as ever). All these characters give Jenna warmth and hope, but the story doesn't settle for simplicity. Nobody has the answers, pain isn't routed by humor (or baked goods), and romantic love doesn't really conquer all.

I would not call "Waitress" a melancholy movie, although it can bring a tear to the eye. Rather, it serves up a vision of life in which the only thing that can save a lady in distress is her own determination (helped out by motherhood after all). That sounds obvious, but any honest adult must admit — as this movie seems bold in doing — that being true to oneself isn't easy as pie.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.