Good concept, poorly executed.

Disappointment for a huge fan!

Crappy film

Beautiful, moving film.

Waitress could have turned into a middling mess, or something with characters that are hard to like (or, I should really note, sociopathic) if done in a more hard-lined Hollywood 'rom-com' assembly-line output (in 2007 those were still done). But Adrienne Shelley was more, for lack of a less precise word-choice, sweet-hearted about her characters. Even the villain of the story, and he is a villain who stands firmly in the way of our hero Keri Russell, her character's husband played by Jeremy Sisto, takes a break (if only in the tiniest moments) to not be a scumbag and show how he too can be vulnerable and afraid.He surely shows his humanity the least - Sisto is scarily adept at making his Earl into a presence that's felt off camera too, if not more so - but Shelley had with Waitress a real chance to make a commercial picture and she took it. Prior to this she directed a couple of low budget independent films, and with this may have seemed to go 'mainstream'. The casting choices though are what count here especially; Russell carries so much screen presence that it's a wonder the lens doesn't make out with her before Nathan Fillion's Doctor does. And in small parts she gets things right too with Cheryl Hines as another waitress at the diner where Jenna serves and (especially, well, uniquely) makes pies, and Andy Griffith is the nice-but-demeaning water (he better get his two waters AND have time to read the horoscope!)There are times when the movie goes into perhaps being too 'cute' or 'quirky'; this is from the same studio, Fox Searchlight, that would a few months later put out another story of an uncertain-in-her-life young woman, Juno, and there's points this dips into being a story that is so light it might float away (or another way to put it on the other extreme is that it's a more grounded version of Pushing Daisies). And oddly enough if there's one part of the movie that doesn't work for me it's ironically Shelley's own sub-plot, where she's another waitress courted by a stone-cold Nebbish with a capital N, and who have an argument in the diner which kind of grinds the movie to a halt.But I can forgive (most of) that for how pure the relationship is between Russell and Fillion on screen; I wish I saw more of Nathan FIllion in movies, or at least in leads like this where he gets to develop a character and he shows us just enough to get to understand why he's doing the things he is. Or, on the reverse, not entirely know why, again this is from Jenna's point of view and that's crucial - we're seeing it through HER eyes, through the downtrodden hero we want to see get out of her loveless marriage. Though some parts are funny (scattered really), it's actually more of a drama with a light touch, and it feels harrowing at times in the scope of a low-middle class, blue collar existence: what does one do with the options presented, i.e. bad marriage, a baby on the way that may/may not be loved, and an affair that is hot but untenable?Russell guides all of these conflicts of the character beautifully, leading up to a conclusion that is genuine and moving. To a further point, knowing about the horrible circumstances outside of the production - Shelley was murdered just before the film was released, though it was finished at the time - makes the very ending a real lump-in-the-throat moment (or just cry your eyes out, go for it). Waitress wears its emotions on its sleeve, but it carries its sincerity along both in the writing and performances, so it's a tough film to ever put down all that much.

This movie touched me in so many ways... I could relate to every character and the casting was great. The story was original and the way the pies were used in it was fabulous. I cannot remember a comedy/romance that I have enjoyed in many years and was so impressed with the writing and directing. So, after the movie ended, I looked up the cast and crew and noticed that Adrienne Shelly who played "Dawn" had died at a really young age and saw that she was also the writer and director. Wow! So impressed! Of course I researched her and found out about her horrific death and was devastated. I think she would have made many more amazing movies which I would have made sure to see each and every one of them.

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.

It's hard to imagine that Adrienne Shelly who wrote, directed, and co-starred as lovable Dawn Williams in the film has been gone for 5 years after a brutal murder in New York City. This film was her lasting legacy. When you watch the film, you are seeing genius at work. Granted, there are some flaws in the film but nothing could take away from what it brought. The cast stars Keri Russell as Jenna (a pie making genius) who works as a waitress at Joe's Diner in a small town. She's pregnant and in an unhappy marriage to abusive Earl. Cheryl Hines plays Becky, another waitress who has an invalid husband at home. Adrienne Shelly plays Dawn, the awkward but lovable waitress who finds love unexpectedly. Anyway, Jenna's pregnancy and her job as a waitress makes her realize a lot about herself. She has an interesting relationship with Dr. P. (played by Nathan Fillon) in the cast. It's a great small film. One of those gems that you wished there were more of. I loved seeing Andy Griffith play Joe. He's great.