by Samantha Scott
Daily Lobo
"Waitress," writer-director Adrienne Shelly's final creation, is a bittersweet dark comedy that explores the life of a small-town waitress in an abusive, loveless marriage and her unplanned pregnancy.
In many films, an unplanned pregnancy somehow transforms into a positive plot point. In this film, protagonist Jenna (Keri Russell) views her expectant state as a terrible accident, but never considers an abortion. When a blood test confirms she has a bun in the oven, Jenna's gynecologist, Dr. Pommater (Nathan Fillion) "uncongratulates" her. The chemistry between doctor and patient quickly begins to heat up. The action and repartee between Jenna and Dr. Pommater is one of the highlights of the film. Their nervous, unglamorous interactions ooze realism.
Jenna isn't a bad person, but she's pretty sure she's not the motherly type. Throughout her pregnancy, Jenna sees her fetus as a parasite and claims to feel no connection to it.
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The casting in this film is nothing short of phenomenal. Originally, Shelly wrote the part of Jenna for herself, but decided that Russell was a better fit. Russell proves herself a genuine thespian in the role of Jenna. She plays deadpan like deadpan was always supposed to be played, but never knew how. She deftly portrays sadness, surprise, disgust and joy.
Shelly plays Dawn, a pasty-skinned fellow waitress who looks for love in personal ads and provides the moral center for the film's cast of characters. As always, Shelly's acting is inimitable. Dawn is the poster child for low self-esteem. She dreams of true love and exudes a charming naiveté. Becky (Cheryl Hines) rounds out the waitress triad. Becky is relatively worldly, has trademark Southern-style wit and chain smokes. Other standout performances include Jenna's abusive husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto), the diner's owner Old Joe (Andy Griffith), the bad-tempered diner cook Cal (Lew Temple) and Dawn's geeky paramour Ogie (Eddie Jemison).
Jenna's daydreams and narration enhance the storyline. She copes with her problems by concocting pie recipes. This narration and its accompanying visuals of delectable yet sardonic pies sweeten the bitter landscape of Jenna's unhappy life. The pies all have painfully honest names, such as I-Hate-My-Husband Pie, Pregnant-Miserable-Self-Pitying-Loser Pie, Earl-Murders-Me-Because-I'm-Having-An-Affair Pie and I-Can't-Have-No-Affair-Because-It's-Wrong-And-I-Don't-Want-Earl-To-Kill-Me Pie. Jenna only feels truly happy when she's baking.
This toothsome tale is a morality play, a dark comedy and a love story. But the morals are sugar-coated, the darkness tempered by Southern-fried culture, and the romance is uncomplicated by the conventional trappings of conditional, secular love.
It was impossible to overlook the tragedy of Shelly's murder when choosing to rent and review "Waitress." Shelly died before finishing this, her third film as director and writer. Yet, I found myself transfixed by "Waitress." It is easy to get lost in Shelly's carefully constructed world, a land of pith and pies.
"Waitress" serves up food for thought and a sweet remembrance of the inimitable Shelly.
"Waitress"
Available now on DVD
Grade: B+
