Waitress
(2007/Comedy/DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B
I always
love the small films that turn out to be big and sometimes they involve
food. They may only have initial limited
success (Mystic Pizza) or become
overrated boutique items, but sometimes, they play so well that you forget they
have limited budgets. With a nod to
Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live
Here Anymore (and the hit TV show that followed,) Adrienne Shelly’s Waitress is a terrific
comedy/drama/romance film about three women who work at a small diner where
Jenna (Keri Russell) is an expert cook when it comes to making pies.
Becky
(Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Shelley) are her co-workers and best friends
struggling to find a life, deal with men and anything ugly in the meantime,
which includes Jenna’s boyfriend Earl (Jeremy Sisto) who is a control freak who
abuses her. She tolerates it, but for
how long before something gives is the big question.
In the
meantime, she is encouraged (Earl or no Earl) to enter a pie baking contest and
not having the money to be independent does not help. In the meantime, she comes up with pie
recipes faster than a conveyor belt and when she becomes pregnant with Earl’s
baby (and does not know what to do about that either) falls for her doctor
(Nathan Fillion of the Firefly/Serenity
franchise) giving her new options at the best possible time. Andy Griffith is also surprisingly good as
her boos at work.
Shelley’s
directing is instinctive and impressive, matched by her very well thought out
screenplay that is one of the best of the year.
It is amazing that a major studio of any kind was smart enough to pick
up something so unpretentious and winning, but Fox came through and their
promotion of the film is the kind I would like to see such films get more
often. The work here is great all around
and despite only limited exposure, I am thrilled and amazed how people are
still talking about this film a half year after its release. The buzz is only going to grow and awards
season should help that. Therefore, make
sure you catch this one ASAP before it becomes the hot title we are crossing
our fingers here it will be. Don’t miss Waitress!
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is much softer than I would have liked
it to be, especially because it looked so good in 35mm and we were all hoping a
Blu-ray was going to be issued at the same time. When it is, it should show even better what a
nice job Director of Photography Matthew Irving (in what is easily his best
work to date) did here. Still, the image
is passable, though color and detail are an issue. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is also a little
weak since surrounds are only used so much and this is a dialogue-based
work. Fortunately, the film itself is so
good, technical limits will not be as obvious and Andrew Hollander’s score is a
plus.
Extras
are terrific and include The Pies Have
It!, Hi! I’m Keri. I’ll Be Your
Waitress, This Is How We Made
Waitress Pie, Written & Directed by Adrienne Shelly: A Memorial, fine
audio commentary track by Russell and producer Michael Roiff, “In Character”
pieces with Russell, Hines and Fillion from the Fox Movie Channel and a message
from Russell about The Adrienne Shelly Foundation. Shelly was sadly killed in a sickening
incident where she was attacked in her own place before this film could be
released. Even if I had not known that,
I would have loved to see her get a Best Director nomination for this film and
hopefully, Academy Award voters will think the same when the time comes.
- Nicholas Sheffo
