Waitress

I know you are going to shoot me, but I was severely disappointed by this movie. The short version of the plot is that we have a waitress, Jenna (played by Keri Russell) in a dead end marriage, who finds out she is pregnant, and starts a fling with her doctor. The film was written and directed by Adrienne Shelly who, from the evidence of this particular film, is a much better director than a writer. Adrienne Shelly also plays one of the waitresses that works in the diner along with Jenna.

Jeremy Sisto, of "Six Feet Under" fame, is wasted playing Jenna's husband, who has no redeeming features at all. The character is written as being so dumb and so self-centered, that he is no longer interesting. He never feels like a real person. This is the type of writing you would expect to see on a local community theater level, not a major motion picture. If you like simple cardboard characters then this is the movie for you. It reminded me of a cross between the old series "Alice" (in fact almost a steal from that show) and the feel of Steel Magnolias. I saw this movie for free, and the price was still a little steep for the quality of the movie.

Andy Griffith plays the diner's owner, and is a pleasant surprise. Keri Russell does a good job with the lines she is given. The photography has a nice small town feel to it and there are a few nice little one liners that will make you smile and a couple of nice plot points. But for the most point the dialogue is so predictable and boring and so unimaginative that I wanted to groan out loud while watching it. The characters are dim witted, not especially bright, and very one dimensional. There is nothing here that has not been done before and done better.

You can write James Harper at movielover77061@yahoo.com