It's time for indie film-lovers to loosen their collective belts a notch or two. "Waitress" - writer-director Adrienne Shelly's sugar-sweet tale of a small-town girl moved to confront her loveless marriage by a surprise pregnancy - is destined to do for pie-making what
"Sideways" did for wine-tasting. From its opening shot of scrumptious chocolate chips slathered in custard, it's clear that the filmmakers (particularly cinematographer Matthew Irving, who makes each ingredient look delectable) have a sweet tooth. But it's the audience that is in for a tasty treat.
"Waitress" serves up the story of Jenna (Keri Russell, all grown up), a small-town waitress who, at the start of the film, finds out she's pregnant. What is typically a cause for celebration turns out to be anything but due to Jenna's loveless marriage to Earl (a perfectly boorish Jeremy Sisto). Earl is a jerk, you see. There's no two ways about it. He announces his arrival with four sustained honks of his car horn (we grow to despise his entrances). The script goes on to portion out his cruelty slowly. But it's Mr. Sisto's performance (he plays the character like a working man's George W) that makes Earl perfectly, sadly believable. There are moments of humanity in Earl - he isn't just a cardboard monster.
Jenna is a self-proclaimed "anti-mom", and she makes it her mission to have the child but not enjoy it. Over the course of the film's nine month span, Jenna meets-cute - and subsequently starts an affair - with her new OB-GYN, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion from "Serenity", surprisingly charming). What could be a Lifetime movie ends up becoming much more thanks to a captivating cast and a smart script.
Make no mistake, "Waitress" is firmly rooted in "chick-flick" territory. But still, a chick-flick done well is a good flick. The script, by Ms. Shelly, never condescends to its characters nor does it pander to the audience. There may be a few easy solutions here or there, but there are also real problems. After 1997's "Sudden Manhattan" and the Ally Sheedy kidnapper comedy "I'll Take You There", this is Ms. Shelly's strongest work.
Ms. Russell's performance is better than anything we've seen from her. The actress, who's perhaps best known as TV's "Felicity", creates her first, fully-realized adult character, and with this film she takes her first step into leading lady territory. This is her
"The Good Girl" (but without the stifling ennui). Of course, it helps that she's surrounded by the likes of Cheryl Hines (quietly walking away with her every scene) and Andy Griffith, giving a wonderfully edgy performance as Old Joe, the owner of the diner (and quite a bit more, it seems).
Of course, it's hard to watch "Waitress" without thinking of Mr. Shelly's untimely death. She passed away before the film's acceptance at Sundance. As Dawn, a fellow waitress, Ms. Shelly has an easy way about her. With her horn-rimmed glasses, smoky voice and awkward smile, she has the look of a forgotten "Peanuts" character. As a writer-director - and this isn't simply cursory, posthumous praise - Ms. Shelly had real potential. She had a gift for characters that aren't - as is so often the case - quirky just for the sake of quirkiness. And she had a real ear for dialogue. "Waitress" is by no means a perfect movie, but it's as sweet as any of the many crusty concoctions on display in the film. And in the end, the final irony may be that Ms. Shelly has left us with a movie that is, above all else, a celebration of life - of birth. How sweet it is.
