Waitress
2007: Adrienne Shelly
PG-13 – 108 minutes
Vault Rating: 8
You run the risk, during today’s feature, of watching your lady-friends nod along in appreciation of the plight of Jenna.
Portrayed perfectly by the charming Keri Russell, Jenna is the waitress of the title. Trapped in a loveless marriage with few prospects at happiness, she escapes into the world of pie making, where she is a perfect savant. Jenna works in a deep south “pie restaurant,” fittingly called “Joe’s Pie Diner,” where she dreams up new pies every day to reflect her fluttering and desperate moods.
“I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong And I Don’t Want Earl To Kill Me Pie: Vanilla custard with banana… Hold the banana.”
Writer / director Adrienne Shelly uses the cooking metaphor perfectly to express the inner world of her central character in a nice running gag throughout. And she frames Jenna with a great couple of work buddies in the older and wiser Becky (Cheryl Hines) and the not so pretty, but hopeful, Dawn (Shelly, herself).
It is, in fact, as if Jenna’s entire work-a-day world was lifted from Mel’s Diner, of the popular 70s and 80s series, “Alice.” It is as if the restaurant was re-named and a better story was affixed to the sit-com and there is even a greasy-shirt (Cal, played by Lew Temple) still extant behind the grille.
Our story complicates in two scenes: The first is when Jenna gets some bad news at work during a group pregnancy test in the restroom with Becky and Dawn. Now, I don’t even want to think about the ladies waiting my table taking such a break, but…
The second complication arises when Jenna goes to see her aging, matronly doctor to find out she’s been replaced by the hunky Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), who is surprised to find congratulations are not in order and that her world class jerk husband, Earl (Jeremy Sisto), is not to be informed.
As in all relationship films, sparks reluctantly fly and Jenna’s desserts become all the more delectable. But “Waitress” far exceeds form. This story plays out in a warm and funny way with a twist of bitters. Like one of Jenna’s pies, its pleasures unfold in layers, in a proper order, and with a tenderness that Hugh Grant will never, ever touch.
Here in the vault, we love a good food movie (“Babette’s Feast” – 1987 French- “Like Water for Chocolate” – 1993 Mexico – and “Eat Drink Man Woman” – 1994 Taiwan) and we’ll tumble for a decent relationship movie. “Waitress” is a service ace on both counts.
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Of late, Vault met with one of the spies, Chuck from Philipsburg, who was expounding on how much he recently enjoyed – then re-enjoyed the new remake, “3:10 To Yuma.” Chuck says it rates with his favorite western, “The Unforgiven.” One of the many pleasures of the original (1957) was the complex character of the arch-villain, Ben Wade, portrayed then by Glenn Ford. Chuck reassured us that, in the new to DVD release, Russell Crowe retains Ford’s original juice. It is seldom that bad guys appear as more than cut out characters, but Elmore Leonard’s story and Halsted Welles’ screenplay created a truly complex antagonist. Do Bale and Russell Crowe live up to the Dan Evans and Ben Wade of yore? You’ll have to see for yourself! Asked for some other recommendations, Chuck was pleased to offer any of the “Bourne” or “Transporter” movies along with the recent thriller, “Crank.”
We had been planning a look at a Video Vault Classic, “Hair!” But the ode to hippy-dom will have to wait until next week. Until next time. Enjoy!