Waitress
2/4
Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillon, Adrienne Shelly, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith
Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, Language and Thematic Elements
"Waitress" is an enthusiastic little film that certainly has some laudable qualities, but ultimately doesn't quite work. It's more insightful than many comedies these days and it has energy, but it feels like a mish-mash of tones and genres that isn't quite streamlined enough. It's a fantasy, but it doesn't come together.
Jenna Hunterson (Russell) is a pie-making genius. She can come up with unusual pie recipes off the top of her head that make everyone salivate. Sadly, the success of her culinary skill does not translate to her personal life, which is a disaster. Her husband Earl (Sisto) became an insecure but aggressive brute after they married and is determined to keep her under his control. She's making plans and saving money to run away, but she discovers a little problem growing in her belly. Her luck seems to turn around when she hits it off with the handsome new doctor in town, Dr. Pomatter (Fillon).
The acting varies. Keri Russell has a few stiff moments here and there, but in general, she's a revelation. You can't help but like Jenna. She's smart and kind, but her disastrous personal life gives her vulnerability that makes her endearing. She also has a set of values; both she and Dr. Pomatter are married, and she knows that having an affair with her doctor is wrong. Less impressive is Nathan Fillon. Fillon, a TV actor who is famous for his roles on the crime show "Castle" and the cult TV show "Firefly," can act, but the role of Dr. Pomatter is out of his range. He is constantly hammy, and every time he utters a word of dialogue it comes off wrong. Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly are on hand for comic relief as Jenna's co-workers. Hines is a little too perky as the ditzy Becky but Shelly is adorable as the shy Dawn. The best performances are given by Jeremy Sisto and Andy Griffith. Sisto is frightening but not too frightening as Earl. He understands exactly how far to take the character without ruining the tone (which is frequently inconsistent). Andy Griffith is perfectly cantankerous as the owner of the diner, although his relationship with Jenna is underdeveloped.
The best flaws are when a movie tries to do something different but doesn't quite make it. These kinds of choices should be encouraged. Shelly, in her last film before she was murdered for the money in her purse, is trying to make an off-kilter feel-good comedy. It doesn't quite make it, but it leads to some interesting tangents. The main problem is that there's so much that she's trying to do that we don't get a feel for the characters. And with Fillon's inadequate acting, the film's central relationship isn't successful.
This isn't a bad film, and it's a sad epitaph for an actress and filmmaker who had more, better films in her.
Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillon, Adrienne Shelly, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith
Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, Language and Thematic Elements
"Waitress" is an enthusiastic little film that certainly has some laudable qualities, but ultimately doesn't quite work. It's more insightful than many comedies these days and it has energy, but it feels like a mish-mash of tones and genres that isn't quite streamlined enough. It's a fantasy, but it doesn't come together.
Jenna Hunterson (Russell) is a pie-making genius. She can come up with unusual pie recipes off the top of her head that make everyone salivate. Sadly, the success of her culinary skill does not translate to her personal life, which is a disaster. Her husband Earl (Sisto) became an insecure but aggressive brute after they married and is determined to keep her under his control. She's making plans and saving money to run away, but she discovers a little problem growing in her belly. Her luck seems to turn around when she hits it off with the handsome new doctor in town, Dr. Pomatter (Fillon).
The acting varies. Keri Russell has a few stiff moments here and there, but in general, she's a revelation. You can't help but like Jenna. She's smart and kind, but her disastrous personal life gives her vulnerability that makes her endearing. She also has a set of values; both she and Dr. Pomatter are married, and she knows that having an affair with her doctor is wrong. Less impressive is Nathan Fillon. Fillon, a TV actor who is famous for his roles on the crime show "Castle" and the cult TV show "Firefly," can act, but the role of Dr. Pomatter is out of his range. He is constantly hammy, and every time he utters a word of dialogue it comes off wrong. Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Shelly are on hand for comic relief as Jenna's co-workers. Hines is a little too perky as the ditzy Becky but Shelly is adorable as the shy Dawn. The best performances are given by Jeremy Sisto and Andy Griffith. Sisto is frightening but not too frightening as Earl. He understands exactly how far to take the character without ruining the tone (which is frequently inconsistent). Andy Griffith is perfectly cantankerous as the owner of the diner, although his relationship with Jenna is underdeveloped.
The best flaws are when a movie tries to do something different but doesn't quite make it. These kinds of choices should be encouraged. Shelly, in her last film before she was murdered for the money in her purse, is trying to make an off-kilter feel-good comedy. It doesn't quite make it, but it leads to some interesting tangents. The main problem is that there's so much that she's trying to do that we don't get a feel for the characters. And with Fillon's inadequate acting, the film's central relationship isn't successful.
This isn't a bad film, and it's a sad epitaph for an actress and filmmaker who had more, better films in her.
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