The reason it seems to work here is because the film is not sweetness for sweetness’ sake. Yes the film is sweet, and yes it may even be a tad whimsical, but you feel that this is its underlying truth, whereas a “sap fest” is attempting to make you fall for it, with clichés and recycled moments. Its truthfulness is the defining factor that separates this heartfelt film from a sappy one.
The film has something else to it. Something deeper and sadder, something behind the scenes. Something horrible that happened to Adrienne Shelly.
Adrienne Shelly was murdered in November of 2006, shortly after she finished this film. It was a horrendous crime, and the worst kind of tragedy for her family to endure. Knowing this, and then watching the film she no doubt spent a long while and great effort on... Well, that could affect anyone's judgment of said film.
Fortunately, and to Adrienne Shelly's credit, the film succeeds on its own merits. Sincerely written and directed by this talented artist, Waitress is the story of a woman who is you guessed it, a waitress. Jenna (Keri Russell) is a pie making master, who spends her days working at Joe’s Pie Shop, along with Becky (Cheryl Hines) a tough and fun loving gal, and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly) their shy and pasty friend.
Jenna day dreams about intriguing ingredients to add into her many different pie recipes, while also giving odd and often hilarious names for each of these pies, ones that usually explain certain issues she’s having in her daily life. One of her main problems is her idiotic, jerk of a husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) who needs her to worship and take care of him as if he were an overgrown toddler. Another is she’s in a loveless marriage, and pregnant with his child.
Jenna decides she will have the baby, but she won’t tell Earl, in hopes that she’ll leave him before he ever finds out. Because of the pregnancy she begins to regularly see Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) a good man, with some minor neurotic tendencies. The affair between them starts shortly after her second visit, and goes on secretly until her daughters birth. In-between the aggravation of Earl and the passion she shares with Pomatter, Jenna finds a friend in Joe played with great sincerity by (Andy Griffith) who happens to own the pie shop among other things. He masks his fondness for Jenna with a gruff demeanor. Their interactions, like the rest of the film, draw you in almost immediately.
All the relationships between these characters are handled in a refreshing way, they might not do what you want them to, but that’s ok. The film is about the search for happiness, and for the most part it keeps us smiling, even if at times it gets a little too sweet.
It’s unfortunate that this is the last work of Adrienne Shelly, her talent as a filmmaker is obvious. All of the performances are topnotch. Especially Keri Russell’s nuanced portrayal of Jenna. The script steers away from most of the clichéd melodramatic turns it could’ve made, and becomes refreshing and earnest. Even with its low budget, the camera work of the pies being made are visually impressive, and makes your sweet tooth throb.
It’s a film that searches for and finds happiness, while proving that there are still date movies worth going to.
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SO Sad
Written by Guest on 2007-06-20 13:25:20
I didn't hear that Shelly was murdered. That's horrible. I'll have to check this film out. Sounds really SWEET.  |
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