Review of Waitress (2007) by Katie M — 14 Apr 2009

Steeped in misery and phenomenal character development this movie took me totally off-guard. This film is not how some would bill it-"chick flick", it is a film to be contemplated and savored from all angles.

Our main character is Jenna played flawlessly by Keri Russell. This was a complete surprise to me as I had only heard of her from her "Felicity" fame. Jenna, trapped in a horrible relationship with Earl (Jeremy Sisto) seeks ways to escape both real and imagined.

Her means of escapism and remaining sane is to visualize the most wonderful pies where she displaces her anger or builds upon her love depending on the circumstance. It sounds silly, but you must see this in action to truly understand it as it is amazingly effective.

Sisto plays a very odd monster. Not your usual, abusive husband, but something maybe even more diabolical as he is impossible to put your finger on. Maybe a mix of Borderline Personality with Antisocial traits and a bit of psychosis to bring around the flavor.

Nathan Fillion plays the love interest and he is marvelous as always, but the story and Russell are the stars. This movie will take you in within ten minutes and not let you go. It could have ended about 10 minutes earlier than it did with regards to plotline, but I still enjoy where it went and understand why.

Seriously, this movie is one that everyone can watch. It appears to just be sugar on the outside, but inside it is bittersweet and as much as I enjoyed it I don't know that I could watch it again as it had so many moments of heart-wrenching anguish borne of real, palpable pain that you can feel it swelling through the screen.

Taste this as soon as you can. I waited far too long. As a side note, to Ms. Shelly the Writer/Director, you will be missed and your senseless loss/murder is a tragedy all its own.