list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Waitress on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Waitress/268252/default.aspx Title: Waitress
Year: 2007
Director: Adrienne Shelly
Plot: Trapped in a miserable marriage and blessed with the ability to transform her misery into delicious desserts, a small-town waitress finds her life forever changed by an unplanned pregnancy. Every day, Jenna (Keri Russell) ties on her apron and serves her customers with a smile, and every night she goes to bed knowing that she is one step closer to the day that she can kiss her scarily domineering husband (Jeremy Sisto) goodbye forever. A smart and sassy baker whose extraordinary pies are inspired by her daily trials and tribulations, Jenna fears that her dreams are all but dead when handsome Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) reveals that she is soon to become a mother. As Jenna begins penning a series of letters to her unborn baby, her life starts to change for the better in ways she never could have imagined. The final film from actress/filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, Waitress debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah just months after the director was discovered dead in her New York City apartment -- the victim of a homicide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 55
Number of Lists: 34
Number of blog posts: 21
Number of discussion threads: 5
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:14:35 GMTWaitress2007Adrienne ShellyTrapped in a miserable marriage and blessed with the ability to transform her misery into delicious desserts, a small-town waitress finds her life forever changed by an unplanned pregnancy. Every day, Jenna (<a href="/players/P____62230/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Keri Russell</a>) ties on her apron and serves her customers with a smile, and every night she goes to bed knowing that she is one step closer to the day that she can kiss her scarily domineering husband (<a href="/players/P____66028/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jeremy Sisto</a>) goodbye forever. A smart and sassy baker whose extraordinary pies are inspired by her daily trials and tribulations, Jenna fears that her dreams are all but dead when handsome Dr. Pomatter (<a href="/players/P___340255/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nathan Fillion</a>) reveals that she is soon to become a mother. As Jenna begins penning a series of letters to her unborn baby, her life starts to change for the better in ways she never could have imagined. The final film from actress/filmmaker <a href="/players/P____65116/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Adrienne Shelly</a>, Waitress debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah just months after the director was discovered dead in her New York City apartment -- the victim of a homicide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide55Tag Target (>10)342153http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s268252.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Waitress/268252/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/indieabby88/archive/2009/2/28/40755.aspx Post By: indieabby88
Post To: Bloggish review blog
Post Date: 2/28/2009 9:36:23 PM
Body: I'll get this out of the way right now: You probably aren't going to see "The Village Barbershop" on any shortlists for Film of the Year. It's not a terribly important movie. It doesn't make any statements and relies on a lot of cliches and "hollywood-ending" plot points. But (and I know this is gonna sound silly) it's got an awful lot of heart, and, in the words of Mark Kermode, "does what it says on the tin." It's a sweet, poignant comedy that delivers decent performances and a mild amount of entertainment. The movie tells the story of Gloria (Shelly Cole) and Art (John Ratzenberger of Pixar fame). Art runs a men's barbershop in Reno. His wife has died, he's lonely, he's kind of a curmudgeon. At the start of the movie, his longtime business partner dies unexpectedly (and inexplicably. It just sort of happens without any kind of announcement). Now, Art is in debt, behind on his rent and needs an extra barber to help run the place. He originally hires the spirited, pregnant Gloria to do the books, but realizes she's got the skills to trim hair. As the movie progresses, wouldn't you know it, Gloria ends up opening Art's mind and heart and turning the business into a success. Like I said, "The Village Barbershop" is far from unique. It also suffers from weak writing in several places, and overacting in others (watch for the judge at Art's hearing about 3/4 of the way through the movie). But Ratzenberger and Cole bring the goods in both their scenes together and apart. Both actors turn in real, grounded performances that only serve to point out how silly everyone else looks. The other characters are cariactures. Art and Gloria are characters. If you're looking for the next indie darling, the next "Waitress" or "Juno," "The Village Barbershop" ain't it. But if you're looking for a sweet, undemanding movie to watch on a Friday or Saturday night, it's a pretty good candidate. Recommendations: "Waitress"- More pregnancy, more pie, less hair. "Juno"- More wit, better music "Steel Magnolias"- More women, more drama
]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:36:23 GMTindieabby88Bloggish review blog2/28/2009 9:36:23 PMI'll get this out of the way right now: You probably aren't going to see "The Village Barbershop" on any shortlists for Film of the Year. It's not a terribly important movie. It doesn't make any statements and relies on a lot of cliches and "hollywood-ending" plot points. But (and I know this is gonna sound silly) it's got an awful lot of heart, and, in the words of Mark Kermode, "does what it says on the tin." It's a sweet, poignant comedy that delivers decent performances and a mild amount of entertainment. The movie tells the story of Gloria (Shelly Cole) and Art (John Ratzenberger of Pixar fame). Art runs a men's barbershop in Reno. His wife has died, he's lonely, he's kind of a curmudgeon. At the start of the movie, his longtime business partner dies unexpectedly (and inexplicably. It just sort of happens without any kind of announcement). Now, Art is in debt, behind on his rent and needs an extra barber to help run the place. He originally hires the spirited, pregnant Gloria to do the books, but realizes she's got the skills to trim hair. As the movie progresses, wouldn't you know it, Gloria ends up opening Art's mind and heart and turning the business into a success. Like I said, "The Village Barbershop" is far from unique. It also suffers from weak writing in several places, and overacting in others (watch for the judge at Art's hearing about 3/4 of the way through the movie). But Ratzenberger and Cole bring the goods in both their scenes together and apart. Both actors turn in real, grounded performances that only serve to point out how silly everyone else looks. The other characters are cariactures. Art and Gloria are characters. If you're looking for the next indie darling, the next "Waitress" or "Juno," "The Village Barbershop" ain't it. But if you're looking for a sweet, undemanding movie to watch on a Friday or Saturday night, it's a pretty good candidate. Recommendations: "Waitress"- More pregnancy, more pie, less hair. "Juno"- More wit, better music "Steel Magnolias"- More women, more drama http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2007/643/38187/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/10/2008 1:36:01 PM
Body: Many good films have been listed. My ulitmate favorite for 2007 is There Will Be Blood. But I have a few others: 1. 30 Days of Night 2. Black Snake Moan 3. Breach 4. Eastern Promises 5. Gone Baby Gone 6. La Vie En Rose 7. No Country for Old Men 8. Sunshine 9. The Mist 10. Waitress
]]>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:36:01 GMTdibotCommunity Recommendations12/10/2008 1:36:01 PMMany good films have been listed. My ulitmate favorite for 2007 is There Will Be Blood. But I have a few others: 1. 30 Days of Night 2. Black Snake Moan 3. Breach 4. Eastern Promises 5. Gone Baby Gone 6. La Vie En Rose 7. No Country for Old Men 8. Sunshine 9. The Mist 10. Waitress http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2007/643/37905/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/3/2008 4:13:53 PM
Body: In no particular order: 1.) Persepolis - I really enjoyed this animated bildungsroman. 2.) 300 - I know it got a lot of flack, but damn if it wasn't one of the coolest looking movies. Nudity, blood, gore, and violence to the umpteenth degree. No extraneous thought necessary and I liked it. 3.) Year of the Dog - Molly Shannon in an amazing role for her. The vegan, PETA freak subject matter turned a good amount of people off this film but definitely worth a look. 4.) Waitress - Keri Russel is just so darn lovable in this flick it's practically unbearable. 5.) Grindhouse - Again, lots of divided people with this one. Some loved just one of the two films or hated it with a passion. I loved the whole thing (especially the faux trailers during intermission). 6.) Southland Tales - The convoluted plot and army of bizarre characters made this one unwatchable for some . . . but not for me. 7.) Margot at the Wedding - Just a great little emotional romper-stomper screwball comedy. 8.) Angel-A - Luc Besson is the shit. In a non-stinky poo kind of way. Great movie. 9.) Smiley Face - Completely unlike Gregg Araki's other films, but Anna Faris is unbelievably hilarious in this film. 10.) Ira & Abby - Quirky romantic comedy. I'm a sucker for those. Some family flicks that were also pretty good: Hairspray - Nothing like the original, but decent nonetheless. The Last Mimzy - Adorable little sci-fi flick for kids. Shrek the Third - I actually thought I would despise this considering the second film in the series annoyed me considerably, but I actually enjoyed it. Enchanted - Amy Adams carried this live-action fairy tale.
]]>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:13:53 GMTmercurialCommunity Recommendations12/3/2008 4:13:53 PMIn no particular order: 1.) Persepolis - I really enjoyed this animated bildungsroman. 2.) 300 - I know it got a lot of flack, but damn if it wasn't one of the coolest looking movies. Nudity, blood, gore, and violence to the umpteenth degree. No extraneous thought necessary and I liked it. 3.) Year of the Dog - Molly Shannon in an amazing role for her. The vegan, PETA freak subject matter turned a good amount of people off this film but definitely worth a look. 4.) Waitress - Keri Russel is just so darn lovable in this flick it's practically unbearable. 5.) Grindhouse - Again, lots of divided people with this one. Some loved just one of the two films or hated it with a passion. I loved the whole thing (especially the faux trailers during intermission). 6.) Southland Tales - The convoluted plot and army of bizarre characters made this one unwatchable for some . . . but not for me. 7.) Margot at the Wedding - Just a great little emotional romper-stomper screwball comedy. 8.) Angel-A - Luc Besson is the shit. In a non-stinky poo kind of way. Great movie. 9.) Smiley Face - Completely unlike Gregg Araki's other films, but Anna Faris is unbelievably hilarious in this film. 10.) Ira &amp; Abby - Quirky romantic comedy. I'm a sucker for those. Some family flicks that were also pretty good: Hairspray - Nothing like the original, but decent nonetheless. The Last Mimzy - Adorable little sci-fi flick for kids. Shrek the Third - I actually thought I would despise this considering the second film in the series annoyed me considerably, but I actually enjoyed it. Enchanted - Amy Adams carried this live-action fairy tale. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/25/37609.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/25/2008 11:00:51 AM
Body: The appeal of the food movie is perhaps best summed up by YouTube user Zenophobius: “Watching people feasting is like watching them ****ing - you can’t help but watch them indulging their primal pleasures. So yes, I guess I love porn and I love a good foodie movie.” Who doesn’t? So, in honor of America’s annual salute to gluttony Thanksgiving, here are our picks for five of the most delicious (yes, we said it) food films of all time. Big Night Stanley Tucci co-wrote and co-directed this 1996 film that features one of the most sumptuous meals ever prepared on camera. If your salivary glands aren’t going into overdrive by the time they start taking the cover off of the timpano, then you have no soul. And no stomach. This is by far Stanley Tucci’s finest film, and if you want any performance from him that comes close to touching it, you’ll have to rent the audiobook version of The Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Tucci does a terrific job of reading that. Oh, and who could forget his wonderful acting in The Impostors? Estômago: A Gastronomic Story Probably one of the most decadent eating experiences I ever had was watching this movie at Fantastic Fest earlier this year while they served as a dramatic, multi-course meal at the Alamo Drafthouse. I needed my stomach pumped afterwards. It was truly delicious. They followed that up with Purokogi, the Yakiniku Bolgogi Movie a night or two later, featuring more food. Clearly, they want you fat in Austin. The movie is about a poor drifter who wanders through a town and doesn’t have enough to pay off his food tab at a fast food joint. The owner puts him to work making “chicken snacks”, and he turns out to be a natural. Soon after he’s hired away by a better restaurant, where he learns the ins and outs of fancy cooking. You soon find out that these are flashbacks, and that he’s actually remembering all of this from prison. Even in the hole he cooks fancy dishes like fried ants, and you soon find out why he’s in jail in the first place: all because he loved the wrong woman. Como Agua Para Chocolate or Like Water For Chocolate Imagine if Cinderella never got to go to the ball at all. Instead, she was locked up by her wicked stepmother and forced to cook all the time. And in place of her magic fairy godmothers, she had a magic hand at concocting dishes and mixing spices. Sound interesting? Actually, maybe that sounds a bit boring. However, what if I told you that she could cook something that would make your entire body burn with a sexual longing so powerful that you’d have to strip nude and run outside under a shower to cool off? Although that doesn’t work, and you end up burning the showerhouse down with your hormones. But that’s beside the point. Como Agua Para Chocolate, was based on the bestselling novel by Laura Esquivel, was one of the most popular Mexican movies of all time, sweeping all of the Ariel awards. It also has some of the sexiest cooking scenes ever put on film. In fact, I’m willing to bet that sales of the novel took off when people found out Esquivel opened each chapter with a new recipe. You can’t help but get hungry for delicious food every time you watch this movie. If you’re hungry for other things, that’s a completely different list for another time. Babette’s Feast Can you imagine spending a small fortune on a meal, toiling over it for days, putting your best intentions and efforts into it, only to have people not say a word about the food? That’s what happens in Babette’s Feast, which features one of the most amazing feasts ever prepared. I mean, her shopping list includes a live sea turtle, that’s hard to beat. And probably something you won’t find down at the corner deli. Babette’s Feast is Danish, delicious, and holds up surprisingly well given that it’s 21 years old. It isn’t all just serious people slurping down food, though. There’s a lot of humor in this movie, a lot of hope, and yes, a lot of cooking. This is actually a perfect post-gorgefest movie, and it’ll definitely make you seek out your chef and tell them “Thank you” for whatever it was you just ate. Waitress Is any holiday more associated with pie than Thanksgiving? Likewise, Waitress is the movie more associated with pie than any other. You’ll never see a more varied selection of this perfect after-dinner delectable. Watching Keri Russell’s character Jenna concoct specific pies for specific times, places, and even events like “Earl Murders Me Because I’m Having An Affair Pie” is a pure delight. Obviously, this movie is best shown during dessert. Runners Up Five courses feels like a proper amount of gluttony, but there are plenty of other films about cooking, or with terrific food scenes. Just rest assured we haven’t forgotten about movies like: Ratatouille, Goodfellas (that razorblade garlic scene), The Godfather (that scene with the peppers), The Mistress of Spices, Tampopo, Eat A Bowl of Tea, Chocolat, Eat Drink Man Woman, and even that scene in Hook where the kids imagine all of their food. Unfortunately it would have been a bit macabre to include one of my favorite movies, Delicatessen, on this list. In that film, people make the best food. But hey, it worked for Soylent Greene. Top image courtesy of Flickr user jamesyu. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:00:51 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/25/2008 11:00:51 AM The appeal of the food movie is perhaps best summed up by YouTube user Zenophobius: “Watching people feasting is like watching them ****ing - you can’t help but watch them indulging their primal pleasures. So yes, I guess I love porn and I love a good foodie movie.” Who doesn’t? So, in honor of America’s annual salute to gluttony Thanksgiving, here are our picks for five of the most delicious (yes, we said it) food films of all time. Big Night Stanley Tucci co-wrote and co-directed this 1996 film that features one of the most sumptuous meals ever prepared on camera. If your salivary glands aren’t going into overdrive by the time they start taking the cover off of the timpano, then you have no soul. And no stomach. This is by far Stanley Tucci’s finest film, and if you want any performance from him that comes close to touching it, you’ll have to rent the audiobook version of The Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Tucci does a terrific job of reading that. Oh, and who could forget his wonderful acting in The Impostors? Estômago: A Gastronomic Story Probably one of the most decadent eating experiences I ever had was watching this movie at Fantastic Fest earlier this year while they served as a dramatic, multi-course meal at the Alamo Drafthouse. I needed my stomach pumped afterwards. It was truly delicious. They followed that up with Purokogi, the Yakiniku Bolgogi Movie a night or two later, featuring more food. Clearly, they want you fat in Austin. The movie is about a poor drifter who wanders through a town and doesn’t have enough to pay off his food tab at a fast food joint. The owner puts him to work making “chicken snacks”, and he turns out to be a natural. Soon after he’s hired away by a better restaurant, where he learns the ins and outs of fancy cooking. You soon find out that these are flashbacks, and that he’s actually remembering all of this from prison. Even in the hole he cooks fancy dishes like fried ants, and you soon find out why he’s in jail in the first place: all because he loved the wrong woman. Como Agua Para Chocolate or Like Water For Chocolate Imagine if Cinderella never got to go to the ball at all. Instead, she was locked up by her wicked stepmother and forced to cook all the time. And in place of her magic fairy godmothers, she had a magic hand at concocting dishes and mixing spices. Sound interesting? Actually, maybe that sounds a bit boring. However, what if I told you that she could cook something that would make your entire body burn with a sexual longing so powerful that you’d have to strip nude and run outside under a shower to cool off? Although that doesn’t work, and you end up burning the showerhouse down with your hormones. But that’s beside the point. Como Agua Para Chocolate, was based on the bestselling novel by Laura Esquivel, was one of the most popular Mexican movies of all time, sweeping all of the Ariel awards. It also has some of the sexiest cooking scenes ever put on film. In fact, I’m willing to bet that sales of the novel took off when people found out Esquivel opened each chapter with a new recipe. You can’t help but get hungry for delicious food every time you watch this movie. If you’re hungry for other things, that’s a completely different list for another time. Babette’s Feast Can you imagine spending a small fortune on a meal, toiling over it for days, putting your best intentions and efforts into it, only to have people not say a word about the food? That’s what happens in Babette’s Feast, which features one of the most amazing feasts ever prepared. I mean, her shopping list includes a live sea turtle, that’s hard to beat. And probably something you won’t find down at the corner deli. Babette’s Feast is Danish, delicious, and holds up surprisingly well given that it’s 21 years old. It isn’t all just serious people slurping down food, though. There’s a lot of humor in this movie, a lot of hope, and yes, a lot of cooking. This is actually a perfect post-gorgefest movie, and it’ll definitely make you seek out your chef and tell them “Thank you” for whatever it was you just ate. Waitress Is any holiday more associated with pie than Thanksgiving? Likewise, Waitress is the movie more associated with pie than any other. You’ll never see a more varied selection of this perfect after-dinner delectable. Watching Keri Russell’s character Jenna concoct specific pies for specific times, places, and even events like “Earl Murders Me Because I’m Having An Affair Pie” is a pure delight. Obviously, this movie is best shown during dessert. Runners Up Five courses feels like a proper amount of gluttony, but there are plenty of other films about cooking, or with terrific food scenes. Just rest assured we haven’t forgotten about movies like: Ratatouille, Goodfellas (that razorblade garlic scene), The Godfather (that scene with the peppers), The Mistress of Spices, Tampopo, Eat A Bowl of Tea, Chocolat, Eat Drink Man Woman, and even that scene in Hook where the kids imagine all of their food. Unfortunately it would have been a bit macabre to include one of my favorite movies, Delicatessen, on this list. In that film, people make the best food. But hey, it worked for Soylent Greene. Top image courtesy of Flickr user jamesyu. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2008/10/22/36567.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 10/22/2008 12:05:51 AM
Body: Waitress (2007) seduces you—and that is not necessarily a good thing. Jenna (Keri Russell), the waitress at Joe’s Diner, is adorable and has an exceptionally expressive face. One male critic wrote, “I dare you to sit through Waitress and not fall for Russell. Her face is open like a baby’s and sculpted like a goddess [sic].”Another adoring critic, Prairie Miller, says the movie is a “girl homage to . . . Southern women” which “seduces the audience.” But what are Jenna and the movie saying? I enjoyed watching Waitress, but when it was over, it made me think of the song “Little Black Dress” performed by Cindy Church. She sings about all the options women have in the game of love and concludes, “Why chose anything else when a little black dress will do.” There’s truth in that, but are men really that easy? Waitress’s witty script also seduces you. When pregnant Jenna has a torrid affair with her married doctor, she creates a pie with her husband Earl in mind. It is called “I Can’t Have No Affair Because I Don’t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie,” and the camera shows her dolloping custard into a pie shell, dropping in a penis-shaped banana, and then saying, “Hold the banana.” One of the other waitresses quietly doubts that they could put that pie’s name up on the blackboard in Joe’s diner. This is witty script writing. But what is it saying? This movie is variously described as a “comedy,” a “romantic comedy,” and a “dramady.” Regardless of the exact label, all comedies say something substantial. Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is anti-war. Shakespeare’s As You Like It (2006) says something about mature versus immature love. Yet if you try to identify and critique the underlying theme of a comedy, the effort is often dismissed because “it’s only a comedy.” For example, on the Internet Movie Database, a woman complained that Waitress “sugarcoated” serious issues, and that these issues were neither funny nor romantic. The doctor having an affair with his patient was not romantic but disturbingly unprofessional. Numerous people having affairs was not funny, and we never heard from the spouses being cheated on. You can guess what the very next response was on the blog—the entire response--“Lighten up.” Waitress presents a world where the women are endearing. What are the men like? Earl (Jeremy Sisto), Jenna’s husband, is both childish and abusive. In the end, he gets what the movie thinks he deserves: When he is celebrating the birth of his first child—albeit a girl—Jenna dismisses him and demands a divorce. The other main male is Dr. Pomatter. Jenna is his patient, and he has a torrid affair with her, a violation of his profession responsibility and code of ethics. He is also cheating on his beautiful, talented, and trusting wife. In the end, he gets what the movie thinks he deserves: Jenna leaves him standing alone in the middle of a hospital corridor holding a plastic wrapped piece of junk food instead of the homemade pies she usually baked him. The minor male characters include Joe (Andy Griffith) who owns the diner. He is so ornery that all the waitresses except Jenna refuse to deal with him. Although he is curmudgeonly, he has a soft spot for Jenna who, against all odds, will actually serve him in his own diner. He has no one. He leaves Jenna a wonderful gift. The guy who runs the diner, Cal (Lew Temple), orders the waitresses around, caring not one iota for them as people. Then, in spite of a wife the waitresses judge as just fine, he starts screwing one of the waitresses. The third waitress falls for a simple-minded, ah-shucks guy who gets her attention by stalking and harassing her. He invents moronic poetry that seems quite heart-felt and does, in a weird way, express his puppy love for the girl he marries. That’s the men in the movie; that’s the other half of humanity. If you think it accurate, you will commend the film for holding such weakness up to the ridicule it deserves. If you think the portrait inaccurate, you’ll avoid being seduced by Waitress’s charm and repartee, and criticize the film for being sexist.
]]>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:05:51 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog10/22/2008 12:05:51 AMWaitress (2007) seduces you&mdash;and that is not necessarily a good thing. Jenna (Keri Russell), the waitress at Joe&rsquo;s Diner, is adorable and has an exceptionally expressive face. One male critic wrote, &ldquo;I dare you to sit through Waitress and not fall for Russell. Her face is open like a baby&rsquo;s and sculpted like a goddess [sic].&rdquo;Another adoring critic, Prairie Miller, says the movie is a &ldquo;girl homage to . . . Southern women&rdquo; which &ldquo;seduces the audience.&rdquo; But what are Jenna and the movie saying? I enjoyed watching Waitress, but when it was over, it made me think of the song &ldquo;Little Black Dress&rdquo; performed by Cindy Church. She sings about all the options women have in the game of love and concludes, &ldquo;Why chose anything else when a little black dress will do.&rdquo; There&rsquo;s truth in that, but are men really that easy? Waitress&rsquo;s witty script also seduces you. When pregnant Jenna has a torrid affair with her married doctor, she creates a pie with her husband Earl in mind. It is called &ldquo;I Can&rsquo;t Have No Affair Because I Don&rsquo;t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie,&rdquo; and the camera shows her dolloping custard into a pie shell, dropping in a penis-shaped banana, and then saying, &ldquo;Hold the banana.&rdquo; One of the other waitresses quietly doubts that they could put that pie&rsquo;s name up on the blackboard in Joe&rsquo;s diner. This is witty script writing. But what is it saying? This movie is variously described as a &ldquo;comedy,&rdquo; a &ldquo;romantic comedy,&rdquo; and a &ldquo;dramady.&rdquo; Regardless of the exact label, all comedies say something substantial. Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is anti-war. Shakespeare&rsquo;s As You Like It (2006) says something about mature versus immature love. Yet if you try to identify and critique the underlying theme of a comedy, the effort is often dismissed because &ldquo;it&rsquo;s only a comedy.&rdquo; For example, on the Internet Movie Database, a woman complained that Waitress &ldquo;sugarcoated&rdquo; serious issues, and that these issues were neither funny nor romantic. The doctor having an affair with his patient was not romantic but disturbingly unprofessional. Numerous people having affairs was not funny, and we never heard from the spouses being cheated on. You can guess what the very next response was on the blog&mdash;the entire response--&ldquo;Lighten up.&rdquo; Waitress presents a world where the women are endearing. What are the men like? Earl (Jeremy Sisto), Jenna&rsquo;s husband, is both childish and abusive. In the end, he gets what the movie thinks he deserves: When he is celebrating the birth of his first child&mdash;albeit a girl&mdash;Jenna dismisses him and demands a divorce. The other main male is Dr. Pomatter. Jenna is his patient, and he has a torrid affair with her, a violation of his profession responsibility and code of ethics. He is also cheating on his beautiful, talented, and trusting wife. In the end, he gets what the movie thinks he deserves: Jenna leaves him standing alone in the middle of a hospital corridor holding a plastic wrapped piece of junk food instead of the homemade pies she usually baked him. The minor male characters include Joe (Andy Griffith) who owns the diner. He is so ornery that all the waitresses except Jenna refuse to deal with him. Although he is curmudgeonly, he has a soft spot for Jenna who, against all odds, will actually serve him in his own diner. He has no one. He leaves Jenna a wonderful gift. The guy who runs the diner, Cal (Lew Temple), orders the waitresses around, caring not one iota for them as people. Then, in spite of a wife the waitresses judge as just fine, he starts screwing one of the waitresses. The third waitress falls for a simple-minded, ah-shucks guy who gets her attention by stalking and harassing her. He invents moronic poetry that seems quite heart-felt and does, in a weird way, express his puppy love for the girl he marries. That&rsquo;s the men in the movie; that&rsquo;s the other half of humanity. If you think it accurate, you will commend the film for holding such weakness up to the ridicule it deserves. If you think the portrait inaccurate, you&rsquo;ll avoid being seduced by Waitress&rsquo;s charm and repartee, and criticize the film for being sexist. http://www.spout.com/blogs/msmaxwell/archive/2008/10/7/36014.aspx Post By: MsMaxwell
Post To: MsMaxwells Blog
Post Date: 10/7/2008 5:33:50 PM
Body: There's a lot to like in this movie: the design, the pies, the waitresses, the pies, Andy Griffith, the pies, but what I don't like cancels out what I did like, which is why I only gave the film three stars. Jenna's (Kerri Russell) husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) is the flattest character I have ever seen. I had childhood paperdolls more rebust than this guy. Why is he so clingy? Why, in the name of everything that's good, did she marry the bastard? At one point, on a phone conversation, Jenna mentions that Earl changed since their nuptuals, but that's all we see. This was such an obvious flaw, I felt a little dumb not turning the movie off, but those pies... Thus inspired, I baked an apple tart the next day, so it's a somehow a significant film, even if just to inspire a patiserrie.
]]>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:33:50 GMTMsMaxwellMsMaxwells Blog10/7/2008 5:33:50 PMThere's a lot to like in this movie: the design, the pies, the waitresses, the pies, Andy Griffith, the pies, but what I don't like cancels out what I did like, which is why I only gave the film three stars. Jenna's (Kerri Russell) husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto) is the flattest character I have ever seen. I had childhood paperdolls more rebust than this guy. Why is he so clingy? Why, in the name of everything that's good, did she marry the bastard? At one point, on a phone conversation, Jenna mentions that Earl changed since their nuptuals, but that's all we see. This was such an obvious flaw, I felt a little dumb not turning the movie off, but those pies... Thus inspired, I baked an apple tart the next day, so it's a somehow a significant film, even if just to inspire a patiserrie. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/16/32630.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/16/2008 3:00:59 PM
Body: Though I first buzzed about an Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight more than a month before his death, I now want to take it all back. I feel all the talk of Ledger’s posthumous Oscar chances will cloud my mind when I finally do see it, and it will probably also cloud the Academy’s judgment, too. Six months from now, when the nominations are announced on January 22 (coincidentally the one-year anniversary of Ledger’s death), if Ledger is not recognized for his role as The Joker, there will surely be an uproar — actually, Hollywood might just up and self-implode. I’m not the only one annoyed by all the Oscar buzz. Terry Gilliam, who directed Ledger in The Brothers Grimm and the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is calling “bullshit” on the whole thing, particularly against Warner Bros., which Gilliam accuses of exploiting Ledger’s death and chance of a posthumous Oscar for publicity purposes. Considering most Oscar campaigns for live actors are really just part of movie marketing, he has a good point. Sure, I would love to see Ledger honored. I’ve believed in his Oscar worth since 10 Things I Hate About You . But in February, if he receives a posthumous award, it will surely feel, at least in good percentage, that it’s because he died young. In that case, why not also give supporting noms sight unseen to Rob Knox for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Brad Renfro for The Informers? Despite the more than 10 posthumous nominations in Oscar history, however, it’s not obligatory for the Academy to hand out such accolades every time someone dies before his final movie is released. Just check out the following list of talent who probably deserved posthumous Oscar recognition as much as Ledger does: Jean Vigo for L’Atalante - One of the greatest, most influential films of all time, L’Atalante premiered in France in 1934, a few months before Vigo died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. It eventually made its way to the U.S. 14 years later, just in time for the debut of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. And considering the first recipient, Vittorio De Sica (for Shoeshine), would win again two years later (for Bicycle Thieves), the Academy should have recognized Vigo’s film, even if it was more than a decade old. Unfortunately, it would be many decades before L’Atalante received the kind of esteem it deserves. James Dean for Rebel Without a Cause - Dean starred in only three feature films, one of which, East of Eden, was released prior to his death. He received posthumous Oscar nominations for that film and his final appearance in Giant, which came out a year later. But wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he’d also been nominated for his most iconic role in Rebel Without a Cause? Sure, he’d have posthumously gone up against himself in 1956, but that’s what movie gods like him were made to do. Richard Harris for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Not only should Harris have received a nomination, he should have won, too. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the greatest performance by the actor, who’d previously been nominated for 1963’s This Sporting Life and 1990’s The Field. It’s that Harry Potter fans would have tuned in and saved that year’s telecast from being the least-watched in years. Just imagine how many people will be tuning in to next year’s show just because of the (inevitable) Ledger nom. Heather O’Rourke for Poltergeist III - I know that I’m only one of maybe three people who like the third Poltergeist movie, but even if you think the movie itself is bad, you have to give little Heather O’Rourke credit for being giving creepily terrific performances throughout the series. Compare her talent to some other young actresses who’ve been nominated. Especially Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine. And had she lived, she’d probably be a better actress today than Oscar-winner Anna Paquin. F.W. Murnau for Tabu - His Sunrise was pretty successful a few year earlier, at the 1st Academy Awards, but he wasn’t even nominated. In fact, the man who also gave us Nosferatu, Faust and The Last Laugh was never nominated for an Oscar, a fact that might have been different had the Oscars been founded a decade earlier or had he not died tragically in a car accident at age 43. I’m sure, at least, that Floyd Crosby, when winning for his cinematography work on Tabu, raised the statue to the sky and said, “this is for Murnau.” Peter Sellers for The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu - Whether or not you believe the Academy hates on comedic actors, you should agree that Sellers should have won an Oscar before he died. Or after he died. If he’d been nominated for this critical and commercial failure, though, it would of course have been one of those “he deserved it for ______, but this will do” kind of situtations. Stanley Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut - If Scorsese can finally win with The Departed, Kubrick should have finally won posthumously with what is often thought of as his worst film. If anything, he at least deserved to be nominated instead of M. Night Shyamalan. Adrienne Shelly for Waitress - Didn’t it seem like a sure thing the writer-director-actress, Shelley, would get the nomination this year? Considering Diablo Cody had already (unofficially) won the actual Oscar before the nominations were even announced, could it have hurt to include the tragically murdered screenwriter? Or were there already too many ladies on the screenwriting ballot this year? Thelma Ritter for What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? - If ever there was a supporting actress who should have won an Oscar, Ritter was she. After six nominations (four of them consecutive), a posthumous seventh should have come with this movie (even if I’ve never personally seen it, I bet she’s great as usual). Unfortunately, the ballots were likely already in when she had her heart attack in February 1969. Also, she probably would have lost to Ruth Gordon anyway. Brandon Lee for The Crow - Laugh all you want, but in a crazy year that saw John Travolta recognized with a nomination and Tom Hanks recognized with a win for one of his silliest performances ever, would it have been so strange if the Academy had given Lee the slot filled by Morgan Freeman (obviously Oscar had little love for The Shawshank Redemption as it was)? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/16/2008 3:00:59 PM Though I first buzzed about an Academy Award nomination for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight more than a month before his death, I now want to take it all back. I feel all the talk of Ledger’s posthumous Oscar chances will cloud my mind when I finally do see it, and it will probably also cloud the Academy’s judgment, too. Six months from now, when the nominations are announced on January 22 (coincidentally the one-year anniversary of Ledger’s death), if Ledger is not recognized for his role as The Joker, there will surely be an uproar — actually, Hollywood might just up and self-implode. I’m not the only one annoyed by all the Oscar buzz. Terry Gilliam, who directed Ledger in The Brothers Grimm and the upcoming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is calling “bullshit” on the whole thing, particularly against Warner Bros., which Gilliam accuses of exploiting Ledger’s death and chance of a posthumous Oscar for publicity purposes. Considering most Oscar campaigns for live actors are really just part of movie marketing, he has a good point. Sure, I would love to see Ledger honored. I’ve believed in his Oscar worth since 10 Things I Hate About You . But in February, if he receives a posthumous award, it will surely feel, at least in good percentage, that it’s because he died young. In that case, why not also give supporting noms sight unseen to Rob Knox for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Brad Renfro for The Informers? Despite the more than 10 posthumous nominations in Oscar history, however, it’s not obligatory for the Academy to hand out such accolades every time someone dies before his final movie is released. Just check out the following list of talent who probably deserved posthumous Oscar recognition as much as Ledger does: Jean Vigo for L’Atalante - One of the greatest, most influential films of all time, L’Atalante premiered in France in 1934, a few months before Vigo died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. It eventually made its way to the U.S. 14 years later, just in time for the debut of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. And considering the first recipient, Vittorio De Sica (for Shoeshine), would win again two years later (for Bicycle Thieves), the Academy should have recognized Vigo’s film, even if it was more than a decade old. Unfortunately, it would be many decades before L’Atalante received the kind of esteem it deserves. James Dean for Rebel Without a Cause - Dean starred in only three feature films, one of which, East of Eden, was released prior to his death. He received posthumous Oscar nominations for that film and his final appearance in Giant, which came out a year later. But wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he’d also been nominated for his most iconic role in Rebel Without a Cause? Sure, he’d have posthumously gone up against himself in 1956, but that’s what movie gods like him were made to do. Richard Harris for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Not only should Harris have received a nomination, he should have won, too. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t the greatest performance by the actor, who’d previously been nominated for 1963’s This Sporting Life and 1990’s The Field. It’s that Harry Potter fans would have tuned in and saved that year’s telecast from being the least-watched in years. Just imagine how many people will be tuning in to next year’s show just because of the (inevitable) Ledger nom. Heather O’Rourke for Poltergeist III - I know that I’m only one of maybe three people who like the third Poltergeist movie, but even if you think the movie itself is bad, you have to give little Heather O’Rourke credit for being giving creepily terrific performances throughout the series. Compare her talent to some other young actresses who’ve been nominated. Especially Abigail Breslin of Little Miss Sunshine. And had she lived, she’d probably be a better actress today than Oscar-winner Anna Paquin. F.W. Murnau for Tabu - His Sunrise was pretty successful a few year earlier, at the 1st Academy Awards, but he wasn’t even nominated. In fact, the man who also gave us Nosferatu, Faust and The Last Laugh was never nominated for an Oscar, a fact that might have been different had the Oscars been founded a decade earlier or had he not died tragically in a car accident at age 43. I’m sure, at least, that Floyd Crosby, when winning for his cinematography work on Tabu, raised the statue to the sky and said, “this is for Murnau.” Peter Sellers for The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu - Whether or not you believe the Academy hates on comedic actors, you should agree that Sellers should have won an Oscar before he died. Or after he died. If he’d been nominated for this critical and commercial failure, though, it would of course have been one of those “he deserved it for ______, but this will do” kind of situtations. Stanley Kubrick for Eyes Wide Shut - If Scorsese can finally win with The Departed, Kubrick should have finally won posthumously with what is often thought of as his worst film. If anything, he at least deserved to be nominated instead of M. Night Shyamalan. Adrienne Shelly for Waitress - Didn’t it seem like a sure thing the writer-director-actress, Shelley, would get the nomination this year? Considering Diablo Cody had already (unofficially) won the actual Oscar before the nominations were even announced, could it have hurt to include the tragically murdered screenwriter? Or were there already too many ladies on the screenwriting ballot this year? Thelma Ritter for What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? - If ever there was a supporting actress who should have won an Oscar, Ritter was she. After six nominations (four of them consecutive), a posthumous seventh should have come with this movie (even if I’ve never personally seen it, I bet she’s great as usual). Unfortunately, the ballots were likely already in when she had her heart attack in February 1969. Also, she probably would have lost to Ruth Gordon anyway. Brandon Lee for The Crow - Laugh all you want, but in a crazy year that saw John Travolta recognized with a nomination and Tom Hanks recognized with a win for one of his silliest performances ever, would it have been so strange if the Academy had given Lee the slot filled by Morgan Freeman (obviously Oscar had little love for The Shawshank Redemption as it was)? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_July_7_Foodie_Heaven/625/32249/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: indieabby88
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/7/2008 6:30:10 PM
Body: Man, forget "No Reservations." Check out the German movie it's based on, "Mostly Martha." I didn't even bother seeing the Americanized version. It looked really sugar-coated. I also think "Spanglish" gets overlooked a lot. I for one really enjoyed this movie, and was surprised by Adam Sandler's performance in it. And it makes me hungry every time I watch him make that fantastic-looking sandwich. And while I loved "Waitress," some of those pie recipes just don't stand up...I'm not a huge fan of mashing up the berries in my berry pies. Finally, I'll just mention "Monty Python's Meaning of Life," although it's really more of an anti-foodie movie. We've got Mr. Creosote, who eats so much he explodes, and then the party attendees killed by eating bad fish.
]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:30:10 GMTindieabby88Weekly Theme7/7/2008 6:30:10 PMMan, forget "No Reservations." Check out the German movie it's based on, "Mostly Martha." I didn't even bother seeing the Americanized version. It looked really sugar-coated. I also think "Spanglish" gets overlooked a lot. I for one really enjoyed this movie, and was surprised by Adam Sandler's performance in it. And it makes me hungry every time I watch him make that fantastic-looking sandwich. And while I loved "Waitress," some of those pie recipes just don't stand up...I'm not a huge fan of mashing up the berries in my berry pies. Finally, I'll just mention "Monty Python's Meaning of Life," although it's really more of an anti-foodie movie. We've got Mr. Creosote, who eats so much he explodes, and then the party attendees killed by eating bad fish. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_July_7_Foodie_Heaven/625/32210/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/7/2008 6:32:58 AM
Body: Moving along from the depressingly bleak visions of man struggling to survive after the apocalypse, let's spend some time examining films that revolve around humankind's love of food in all it's myriad forms. We all know at least one scene from a film that involves food (from the orgasm sandwich in When Harry Met Sally to the beggars feast in Viridiana or the Chinese restaurant Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story etcetera), but let's discuss those lesser in abundance films in which the entirety of the plot focuses primarily on food. Recently, Ratatouille seemed to bring out the gourmand in a lot of people (similar to what Big Night did more than a decade ago) while No Reservations just seemed to turn everyone's stomachs. Waitress brought about renewed interest in the realm of baking (pies in particular) and Tim Burton's re-imagined Charlie and the Chocolate Factory once again sent everyone's sweet tooth into a diabetic coma. While it could be argued that every zombie movie could be among this list, the best horror movies involving food have been Dumplings, which after watching has made the sound of someone slurping soup make my skin crawl, Blood Feast, which is a more visceral and straightforward version of Fried Green Tomatoes (without all that sappy crap), and of course Attack of the Killer Tomatoes in which food finally gets its revenge on us. On the documentary side of things we have Super Size Me and King Corn (and maybe the faux-based-on-real-events-exploitation-book-adaptation-movie Fast Food Nation). Lastly, some of my guilty pleasures have to be Waiting..., an amazing expose into the behavior of over-worked and under-paid restaurant employee's. Pieces of April, which centers around the amazingly stressful preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? which is surprisingly all about food when you think about it (preparing meals for his obese mother, the gentrification of small towns by Wal-Mart-like supermarkets and fast food restaurants, and the main character working in a grocery store and delivering "ice cream" to the local bored housewives). And The Last Supper which turns family dinners into Liberal Judgement Day. So now, where's the beef? I mean, what are some of your favorite foodie flicks?
]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:32:58 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme7/7/2008 6:32:58 AM Moving along from the depressingly bleak visions of man struggling to survive after the apocalypse, let's spend some time examining films that revolve around humankind's love of food in all it's myriad forms. We all know at least one scene from a film that involves food (from the orgasm sandwich in When Harry Met Sally to the beggars feast in Viridiana or the Chinese restaurant Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story etcetera), but let's discuss those lesser in abundance films in which the entirety of the plot focuses primarily on food. Recently, Ratatouille seemed to bring out the gourmand in a lot of people (similar to what Big Night did more than a decade ago) while No Reservations just seemed to turn everyone's stomachs. Waitress brought about renewed interest in the realm of baking (pies in particular) and Tim Burton's re-imagined Charlie and the Chocolate Factory once again sent everyone's sweet tooth into a diabetic coma. While it could be argued that every zombie movie could be among this list, the best horror movies involving food have been Dumplings, which after watching has made the sound of someone slurping soup make my skin crawl, Blood Feast, which is a more visceral and straightforward version of Fried Green Tomatoes (without all that sappy crap), and of course Attack of the Killer Tomatoes in which food finally gets its revenge on us. On the documentary side of things we have Super Size Me and King Corn (and maybe the faux-based-on-real-events-exploitation-book-adaptation-movie Fast Food Nation). Lastly, some of my guilty pleasures have to be Waiting..., an amazing expose into the behavior of over-worked and under-paid restaurant employee's. Pieces of April, which centers around the amazingly stressful preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. What's Eating Gilbert Grape? which is surprisingly all about food when you think about it (preparing meals for his obese mother, the gentrification of small towns by Wal-Mart-like supermarkets and fast food restaurants, and the main character working in a grocery store and delivering "ice cream" to the local bored housewives). And The Last Supper which turns family dinners into Liberal Judgement Day. So now, where's the beef? I mean, what are some of your favorite foodie flicks? http://www.spout.com/blogs/jj79/archive/2008/6/8/30856.aspx Post By: JJ79
Post To: JJ79 Blog
Post Date: 6/8/2008 2:14:53 PM
Body: In the wake of writer/director/co-star Adrienne Shelly´s death, her final film, "Waitress," has morphed from a "Little Miss Sunshine"-type feel good story into something more: a testament to a filmmaker cut down in her prime. Starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines and Jeremy Sisto, "Waitress" demonstrates a spunk and heart we won´t see from Shelly again. In a small town, Jenna (Russell) is a master pie maker: she dreams up new recipes to go along with that day´s mood. While she is lauded for her skills by the patrons of the pie diner where she works, Jenna´s home life is less positive. Her husband Earl (Sisto) keeps her on a tight leash, taking her money the minute she gets into the car after her shift. When Jenna learns she´s pregnant and realizes a man should treat her like a person, courtesy of new doctor Jim Pomatter (Fillion), she has a decision to make for not only her future, but also for her new daughter. The charm of "Waitress" isn´t in elaborate camera moves or splashy special effects. It doesn´t rely on A-list stars to draw the audience in and it´s not a franchise flick. Rather, it´s the interaction between the characters and the actors who play them which is the main draw. Russell, Hines and Shelly play the three waitresses at Joe´s Pie Diner and have a relationship which reminds one of the 1970s TV show "Alice": Russell´s Jenna is the straight-laced and responsible Alice, the one everyone expects to be upstanding (though they admit they don´t want to be her); Becky (Hines) resembles the kiss-my-grits Flo, loud and bombastic with a vulnerable side; and Dawn (Shelly) should be compared to Vera, mostly reserved and quiet, but loyal to the end. These women make up the backbone of the film, though it´s Jenna´s journey the camera follows. The fact neither of the girls wants to be Jenna is highlighted after Earl picks his wife up by blasting the car horn to announce himself. It´s an act he repeats time and again throughout the film, at first funny and eccentric but quickly becoming something Jenna (and the audience) dreads. Earl is violent toward Jenna once in the film, which sends a shockwaves through her and everyone watching. How can a man with a beautiful wife and a baby on the way act the way he does? When he makes Jenna promise not to love the baby more than she loves him, we know she has to get out of this situation. If there is one aspect of the film that is overplayed, it is the relationship between Earl and Jenna. We get he is not a good person and is a very clingy, very needy man. We understand the pain Jenna goes through when she climbs into the car every night. We don´t hold it against her when she stashes money throughout the house to enter a pie contest. And certainly when he crashes a wedding at the diner, it´s the last straw. It feels as though Shelly wanted to pound it into the audience´s head that Jenna is too good for Earl. That much is obvious, though, the minute Russell and Sisto share a scene. Here is a beautiful, radiant woman who wouldn´t hurt a fly married to-essentially-a child to whom temper tantrums are acceptable. If this life is so bad, why don´t any of the people in this town-Dawn, Becky, Cal the cook, Joe the owner-take her out of it? Why don´t any of them stand up to Earl when he comes barreling into the wedding, considering his rage and Jenna´s pregnancy? Certainly a case could be made for a restraining order or psychological abuse. Ah well, Earl isn´t perfect and neither are the other characters. Except Dawn. The least conventionally pretty of the female characters, she has the purest heart and stays on the straight and narrow. When Jenna begins secretly having sex with the new-and married-Doctor Pomatter, the amount of understanding the audience has for her situation drops. Not that she should be happy with her marriage to Earl; if she is going to take the moral high ground, she needs to be able to claim it without her fingers crossed behind her back. She can´t, though the ending of movie makes up for it. Maybe it´s inevitable in a small town like this one everyone is incestuous with each other. It doesn´t matter, apparently, if these people are married or what their situation is; they will sleep with each other. It´s the one positive trait about Earl: he´s faithful to Jenna. I couldn´t help but think a companion tie-in opportunity would be a book of Jenna´s pie recipes. There are certainly enough of them to make any cook happy. A concoction with marshmallows, lots of banana creations, chocolate on top of chocolate, a new variation on pumpkin pie…why hasn´t Fox thought about this ancillary revenue stream? Maybe it´ll come out with the DVD in a couple months? One of the downfalls of this film--and it is shared by a great many other comedies--is the lack of humor in the second half. The first hour or so is full of funny, laughter inducing moments (like the awkwardness between Pomatter and Jenna, which, mercifully, ends not a moment too soon) and then the second concerns itself with the drama between Earl and Jenna. Humor needs to be spread out through the film so the heavy moments aren´t so heavy and the light ones don´t threaten to fly away like air-filled bubbles. As for the ending, it´s unbelievable in many respects, though I am loathe to comment any further on it. Let me just say for a man as needy as Earl seems to be, he takes the resolution rather well. The performances in "Waitress" are uniformly solid, none more surprising than Russell. In many ways, she is a battered woman and for every second she´s on the screen, we believe it. While it is a stretch for us to accept a woman this beautiful with such a talent for baking to be stuck in a dead end marriage and a seemingly dead end town, she is just a joy to behold. She has a low-level chemistry with Fillion, though he is the weak link in the cast. He´s not bad to watch, but with the other characters talking in "improper" English and based on his previous role as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in "Firefly" and "Serenity," we can´t help but expect him to do the same. A younger actor would have been more believable in the role, especially playing against Russell. Special mention should be made of Andy Griffith in the role of Joe, a successful businessman who owns the diner, a gas station, supermarket and other establishments. He´s only featured in a couple scenes, but in those scenes (primarily with Russell), we feel like anything can come out of his mouth. It´s obvious he is relishing the role and just being on the set; there´s a twinkle in his eye that´s unexpected. Here´s to hoping Griffith gets called a bit more for supporting roles in movies like "Waitress." It´s not perfect as some critics have suggested, nor am I fawning over "Waitress" because of the Shelly tragedy. This film was on my list of most anticipated movies of the summer and it mostly delivers. Better than any of the big budget spectacles already released this summer and most of the films to hit the screen this year, "Waitress" rates a 6.5 on the scale of 1 to 10. Different storylines for Cal and Becky (unspoiled in this review) and slightly more focus on the pies would have raised the score. Still, a fine summer film and, thus far, one of the most enjoyable of the year.
]]>Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:14:53 GMTJJ79JJ79 Blog6/8/2008 2:14:53 PMIn the wake of writer/director/co-star Adrienne Shelly&acute;s death, her final film, "Waitress," has morphed from a "Little Miss Sunshine"-type feel good story into something more: a testament to a filmmaker cut down in her prime. Starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines and Jeremy Sisto, "Waitress" demonstrates a spunk and heart we won&acute;t see from Shelly again. In a small town, Jenna (Russell) is a master pie maker: she dreams up new recipes to go along with that day&acute;s mood. While she is lauded for her skills by the patrons of the pie diner where she works, Jenna&acute;s home life is less positive. Her husband Earl (Sisto) keeps her on a tight leash, taking her money the minute she gets into the car after her shift. When Jenna learns she&acute;s pregnant and realizes a man should treat her like a person, courtesy of new doctor Jim Pomatter (Fillion), she has a decision to make for not only her future, but also for her new daughter. The charm of "Waitress" isn&acute;t in elaborate camera moves or splashy special effects. It doesn&acute;t rely on A-list stars to draw the audience in and it&acute;s not a franchise flick. Rather, it&acute;s the interaction between the characters and the actors who play them which is the main draw. Russell, Hines and Shelly play the three waitresses at Joe&acute;s Pie Diner and have a relationship which reminds one of the 1970s TV show "Alice": Russell&acute;s Jenna is the straight-laced and responsible Alice, the one everyone expects to be upstanding (though they admit they don&acute;t want to be her); Becky (Hines) resembles the kiss-my-grits Flo, loud and bombastic with a vulnerable side; and Dawn (Shelly) should be compared to Vera, mostly reserved and quiet, but loyal to the end. These women make up the backbone of the film, though it&acute;s Jenna&acute;s journey the camera follows. The fact neither of the girls wants to be Jenna is highlighted after Earl picks his wife up by blasting the car horn to announce himself. It&acute;s an act he repeats time and again throughout the film, at first funny and eccentric but quickly becoming something Jenna (and the audience) dreads. Earl is violent toward Jenna once in the film, which sends a shockwaves through her and everyone watching. How can a man with a beautiful wife and a baby on the way act the way he does? When he makes Jenna promise not to love the baby more than she loves him, we know she has to get out of this situation. If there is one aspect of the film that is overplayed, it is the relationship between Earl and Jenna. We get he is not a good person and is a very clingy, very needy man. We understand the pain Jenna goes through when she climbs into the car every night. We don&acute;t hold it against her when she stashes money throughout the house to enter a pie contest. And certainly when he crashes a wedding at the diner, it&acute;s the last straw. It feels as though Shelly wanted to pound it into the audience&acute;s head that Jenna is too good for Earl. That much is obvious, though, the minute Russell and Sisto share a scene. Here is a beautiful, radiant woman who wouldn&acute;t hurt a fly married to-essentially-a child to whom temper tantrums are acceptable. If this life is so bad, why don&acute;t any of the people in this town-Dawn, Becky, Cal the cook, Joe the owner-take her out of it? Why don&acute;t any of them stand up to Earl when he comes barreling into the wedding, considering his rage and Jenna&acute;s pregnancy? Certainly a case could be made for a restraining order or psychological abuse. Ah well, Earl isn&acute;t perfect and neither are the other characters. Except Dawn. The least conventionally pretty of the female characters, she has the purest heart and stays on the straight and narrow. When Jenna begins secretly having sex with the new-and married-Doctor Pomatter, the amount of understanding the audience has for her situation drops. Not that she should be happy with her marriage to Earl; if she is going to take the moral high ground, she needs to be able to claim it without her fingers crossed behind her back. She can&acute;t, though the ending of movie makes up for it. Maybe it&acute;s inevitable in a small town like this one everyone is incestuous with each other. It doesn&acute;t matter, apparently, if these people are married or what their situation is; they will sleep with each other. It&acute;s the one positive trait about Earl: he&acute;s faithful to Jenna. I couldn&acute;t help but think a companion tie-in opportunity would be a book of Jenna&acute;s pie recipes. There are certainly enough of them to make any cook happy. A concoction with marshmallows, lots of banana creations, chocolate on top of chocolate, a new variation on pumpkin pie&hellip;why hasn&acute;t Fox thought about this ancillary revenue stream? Maybe it&acute;ll come out with the DVD in a couple months? One of the downfalls of this film--and it is shared by a great many other comedies--is the lack of humor in the second half. The first hour or so is full of funny, laughter inducing moments (like the awkwardness between Pomatter and Jenna, which, mercifully, ends not a moment too soon) and then the second concerns itself with the drama between Earl and Jenna. Humor needs to be spread out through the film so the heavy moments aren&acute;t so heavy and the light ones don&acute;t threaten to fly away like air-filled bubbles. As for the ending, it&acute;s unbelievable in many respects, though I am loathe to comment any further on it. Let me just say for a man as needy as Earl seems to be, he takes the resolution rather well. The performances in "Waitress" are uniformly solid, none more surprising than Russell. In many ways, she is a battered woman and for every second she&acute;s on the screen, we believe it. While it is a stretch for us to accept a woman this beautiful with such a talent for baking to be stuck in a dead end marriage and a seemingly dead end town, she is just a joy to behold. She has a low-level chemistry with Fillion, though he is the weak link in the cast. He&acute;s not bad to watch, but with the other characters talking in "improper" English and based on his previous role as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in "Firefly" and "Serenity," we can&acute;t help but expect him to do the same. A younger actor would have been more believable in the role, especially playing against Russell. Special mention should be made of Andy Griffith in the role of Joe, a successful businessman who owns the diner, a gas station, supermarket and other establishments. He&acute;s only featured in a couple scenes, but in those scenes (primarily with Russell), we feel like anything can come out of his mouth. It&acute;s obvious he is relishing the role and just being on the set; there&acute;s a twinkle in his eye that&acute;s unexpected. Here&acute;s to hoping Griffith gets called a bit more for supporting roles in movies like "Waitress." It&acute;s not perfect as some critics have suggested, nor am I fawning over "Waitress" because of the Shelly tragedy. This film was on my list of most anticipated movies of the summer and it mostly delivers. Better than any of the big budget spectacles already released this summer and most of the films to hit the screen this year, "Waitress" rates a 6.5 on the scale of 1 to 10. Different storylines for Cal and Becky (unspoiled in this review) and slightly more focus on the pies would have raised the score. Still, a fine summer film and, thus far, one of the most enjoyable of the year. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
Number of films tagged: 12479

Number of people who tagged: 338

Number of times used: 1481

]]>Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:51:34 GMT124793381481Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/comedy/MemberTagFilms.aspxcomedy
Number of films tagged: 1087

Number of people who tagged: 253

Number of times used: 1342

]]>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:38:30 GMT10872531342Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspxromance
Number of films tagged: 7163

Number of people who tagged: 169

Number of times used: 1005

]]>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:16:35 GMT71631691005Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
Number of films tagged: 6791

Number of people who tagged: 154

Number of times used: 980

]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:42:20 GMT6791154980Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Quirky/MemberTagFilms.aspxQuirky
Number of films tagged: 131

Number of people who tagged: 110

Number of times used: 249

]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:54:25 GMT131110249Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cute/MemberTagFilms.aspxcute
Number of films tagged: 210

Number of people who tagged: 98

Number of times used: 314

]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:46:12 GMT21098314Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sweet/MemberTagFilms.aspxsweet
Number of films tagged: 108

Number of people who tagged: 90

Number of times used: 170

]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:28:46 GMT10890170Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sexy/MemberTagFilms.aspxsexy
Number of films tagged: 117

Number of people who tagged: 82

Number of times used: 157

]]>Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:16:48 GMT11782157Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/marriage/MemberTagFilms.aspxmarriage
Number of films tagged: 3471

Number of people who tagged: 67

Number of times used: 267

]]>Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:39:11 GMT347167267Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/life/MemberTagFilms.aspxlife
Number of films tagged: 1082

Number of people who tagged: 52

Number of times used: 224

]]>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:43 GMT108252224Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/wedding/MemberTagFilms.aspxwedding
Number of films tagged: 853

Number of people who tagged: 44

Number of times used: 148

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:32:02 GMT85344148Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/jealousy/MemberTagFilms.aspxjealousy
Number of films tagged: 1295

Number of people who tagged: 39

Number of times used: 120

]]>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:13:05 GMT129539120Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/baby/MemberTagFilms.aspxbaby
Number of films tagged: 418

Number of people who tagged: 38

Number of times used: 88

]]>Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:39:51 GMT4183888Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/freedom/MemberTagFilms.aspxfreedom
Number of films tagged: 454

Number of people who tagged: 38

Number of times used: 60

]]>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:55:18 GMT4543860Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/affair/MemberTagFilms.aspxaffair
Number of films tagged: 84

Number of people who tagged: 29

Number of times used: 96

]]>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:27:26 GMT842996Tag