A Pleasant Wait

I recently watched Waitress, a small independent film from a few years back that made some news at the time for a most unfortunate reason: Adrienne Shelly, the writer and director of the film (and co-star) was murdered before the film picked up a distributor and a wide release.

Though I was aware of the related tragedy, my interest in the film was more conventional than morbid -- there are a lot of actors that appear in the film that I've liked in other things. It stars Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, and Andy Griffith. And it's a very character-driven piece, so each gets their chance to shine.

Keri Russell is (you guessed it) a waitress, one with a real gift for baking delicious pies. But she's cursed with an abusive husband (Jeremy Sisto), and as the film opens, finds herself pregnant with an unwanted child. The film follows her over the course of her pregnancy as she deals with the anxiety of her situation, and as a relationship develops with her doctor (Nathan Fillion).

It sounds like deeply serious stuff, and at times it is, but mostly the movie uses a soft touch. It's meant to be touching, at times bittersweet but not overly dramatic. It perhaps unintentionally crosses that line once or twice, thanks to the powerful performances by the actors -- Jeremy Sisto plays a real jerk of a husband, honestly scary in moments, and Keri Russell instantly makes you sympathize with her character. Add Cheryl Hines bringing the funny, Andy Griffith the soul, and top with Nathan Fillion's patented brand of charm, and it's a good recipe.

But the film never really goes quite far enough to be truly great. Like pie, it's a treat at the time, but a dessert more than a main course, and doesn't stay with you for too long. Not that the director's murder need be any more tragic, but I for one got the sense that this, though a good movie, would probably have been followed by better. I give Waitress a B-.