With some movies it becomes hard to tell whether the fuss and acclaim is to do with the film or the events surrounding it. Waitress is such a film - very well received at Sundance and other places on the indie scene, but the question is whether this is down to merit or because of the tragic murder of writer/director and co-star Adrienne Shelly shortly after completion of the film. I suspect a bit of both - this is a good film, but not quite the classic certain reviews and reports make it out to be.
The plot follows, surprisingly enough, a waitress - Keri Russell's Jenna - with a gift for inventing new pie recipes, who discovers that she is pregnant. As her husband (Jeremy Sisto) is a bullying, abusive, no-good-for-nothing type of a fellow, this is not exactly welcome news. She handles it by starting an affair with her gynaecologist (Serenity's Nathan Fillion). In the background are the tangled love lives of her colleagues, including another adulterous affair.
Contrary to the appearance of the trailer this is definitely not a romantic comedy in any traditional sense of the genre. It starts out funnily enough, with most of the characters seeming like amusing caricatures in a smalltown America way. However, as you get to know them they reveal more depth, becoming more believable and likeable (except in Sisto's case, who becomes more brutal as the movie progresses). In the end, it shows quirky humanity in all its strengths and weaknesses with some real laughs, a few touching moments and the odd shock.
Russell (who is perhaps best known for having a bomb in her head explode at the start of Mission Impossible 3) proves a likeable and watchable lead and she is ably backed by the rest of a strong cast. Surprisingly it is Fillion, doing his nervous charm, who is the weakest link - not in terms of performance, which is highly entertaining, but because his character seems to lack in motivation - what makes this happily married doc embark on an affair with a patient? It remains a complete blank. In many ways it falls to Andy Griffith in excellent form as the garrulous cafe owner to provide the moral heart and direction of the story.
The film adopts an interesting approach towards the adulterous relationships - never condoning, or romanticising, but neither does it condemn those involved (such condemnation is reserved for the truly horrible husband) but rather to understand (and this where the lack of depth to Fillion's character weakens the whole), whilst ultimately coming to the conclusion that they are probably a bad idea.
So, an interesting and often amusing film that is well worth a peak, but only after eating a hearty meal because this is one of those rare movies where the food really works and those pies will have you watering at the mouth.
2 comments:
I think you've nailed it just about right that this flick is good but not great ... I found it hard not to think about what happened to poor Adrienne Shelly, but if you can manage to separate that from the flick itself, it still stands up well as perfectly enjoyable summer fare, and sometimes I don't ask for any more than that
Thanks for the comment. Nice to hear from you and I agree, sometimes its good to sit back and watch something which is just entertaining and enjoyable.
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