Waitress

Service With a Smile

The late writer-director Adrienne Shelly's Waitress is a fine quirky film. But I have to admit one of the prime reasons for my catching this movie, is that it stars Keri Russell. Somehow I didn't find her all that attractive during her Felicity days, but my, how have things changed, and her very short role in M:I:III was somewhat a pity. Here, she plays the lead role as Jenna, a waitress at a pie diner, who's secretly wishing to save enough money to get away from a miserable life.

And what a miserable life that is. Stuck in an unhappy marriage, her life is the home to work to home cycle, putting up with customers in the diner, but worse, having to tolerate her husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) and his nonsense. A possessive, insecure man, he controls Jenna, even as ridiculous as the things she has to say to him, and makes life an emotional, and sometimes physical hell for her. Your blood will just boil when you see the kind of treatment he dishes out, especially the miscellaneous blackmailing techniques.

But Jenna's thoughts and plans of escape get put on hold as she becomes pregnant. And having secret desires with a newcomer doctor Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion of Serenity) just happens to complicate things, not that he's a good looker, but finally here's someone who lends a listening ear, but wait, is also married! The story dwells upon life in general, and the choices and decisions one makes, and I thought for a moment it nearly gone into Little Children territory.

Waitress contains a lot of charm, in having the good looking leads in Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion play off each other. Those into bakery will also be smiling at the numerous pies that Jenna bakes, whose ingredients and inspiration come from her life situations and events. Andy Griffith, whom I have watched as a boy his television series Matlock, lends himself to a role as Old Joe, who owns the pie diner, a fussy man who dictates his every wish at the diner, but one who also dispenses invaluable everyday life advice to Jenna when she needed it most. But as much as I like the many characters in the movie, I still take my hat off to Jeremy Sisto's Earl, as the asshat husband. Those who behave like he does ought to be ashamed, and it's a constant reminder never to degenerate into a complete prick like he is.

It makes a wonderful date movie this week, even though it's not a romance movie per se and is heavy on dialogue. But definitely one of the major issues raised and as observed here, is for the guys to take stock of our behaviour when dealing with our loved ones. This, despite Waitress being a chick flick.


When the world is gray and bleak
Baby don't you cry
I will give you every bit of love that's in my heart
I will bake it up into a simple little pie…
Baby don't you cry
Gonna make a pie
Gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle
Baby don't be blue
Gonna make for you
Gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle.
Gonna be a pie from heaven above
Gonna be filled with strawberry love
Baby don't you cry
Gonna make a pie
Hold you forever in the middle of my heart.
Baby's here's the sun
Baby here's the sky
Baby I'm the light and I'm your shelter
Baby you are mine
I could freeze the time
Keep you in my kitchen with me forever
Gonna be a pie from heaven above
Gonna be filled with strawberry love
Baby don't you cry
Gonna make a pie
Hold you forever in the middle of my heart.
Gonna be a pie from heaven above
Gonna be filled with butterscotch love
Gonna be a pie from heaven above
Gonna be filled with lemon cream love
Baby don't you cry
Gonna make a pie
Hold you forever in the middle of my heart.