Waitress

A large percentage of men and women wait tables at some point in their lives. Either to make enough money to get themselves through college, or transitionally while they wait for something better to come along. However, what about those unfortunate, brave souls who choose this as their career and find themselves day and after day in a restaurant. For Jenna Hunterson, Keri Russell's character in Waitress, her life is a nightmare. The film finds Jenna at the time in her life when everything is going wrong and life has got her down, yet we experience her kindness and creativity through the eyes of her friends and regulars.

This film was written and directed by Adrianne Shelley who plays Dawn, a soft-spoken lonely-heart. She was known for working with another independent film director named Hal Hartley, known for Trust, which starred Adrianne. Waitress came out in May of 2007, but she was killed on November 1, 2006 in her apartment in New York. It was unfortunately her last work, but it was magnificent. Her little girl Sophie played the toddler at the end of the film and the cast went on Oprah to promote her work and honor her, but otherwise this film had little to no press.

It is a very small independent film, but Adrianne did an excellent job getting the most out of her actor’s comedic timing, by putting the camera in just the right spot. The camera would sometimes slowly zoom into a shot where Jenna had a comedic expression and it made that moment all the more hilarious. There are also elements of hilarity and surprise, which are interspersed through the three main characters’ conversations at the restaurant. With topics like uneven saggy boobs and an elfish stalker, there is always something to talk about.

Waitress is incredibly heartwarming, in a way that has you whimpering at the end, but the most unique aspect of the film, is that Jenna has these daydreams when she is alone. Her imagination adds an almost magical aspect to the film, in these moments in which she makes up a new combination. The ingredients pour in slowly and we watch the new creation unfold. We see the pie being made, accompanied by dreamlike chords and then she names it depending on her mood, like I Hate My Husband Pie...

This is a film that helps you appreciate life and its many surprises and misfortunes. It also presents some words of wisdom, advice everybody should take at least once in their life...Sometimes you just need to start fresh. Life doesn't always turn out the way you plan it, so you reprioritize and change it! Instead surround yourself with what makes you happy. This film is the best restaurant comedy I have ever seen. So butter your popcorn, and surround yourself with happiness.