‘Waitress’:
Wonderful but sad

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

There doesn’t seem to be much humor in being unhappily married, pregnant and broke, but in Waitress, writer/director Adrienne Shelly serves up many laughs and even a few tears.
Sadly, 40-year-old Shelly never lived to see her movie on the big screen. She was murdered late last year in a New York apartment she used as an office — simply because she complained to a home-improvement contractor about noise. It’s truly a shame we won’t be seeing any more work from this great talent. However, Waitress is a charming movie no one will forget after seeing.
Jenna (Keri Russell) works as a waitress in a small Southern community. She’s unhappily married to Earl (Jeremy Sisto) and has been trying to stash some money to eventually leave him. Finding out she’s pregnant (which happened after he got her drunk one night) throws a monkey wrench in her plans. She decides to keep the baby but lets everyone know she’s not one of those happy pregnant ladies and wants no one making a fuss over her.
Jenna commiserates with two other waitresses at Joe’s Pie Diner, Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Shelly cast herself in this role). Jenna’s considered a pie genius and makes special pies for the diner each day. With memorable monikers like Pregnant Miserable Self-Pitying Loser Pie and I Hate My Husband Pie, the creative concoctions she comes up with allow Jenna to express her frustrations.
The diner’s owner Joe (Andy Griffith) is a grumpy older man, but his rough exterior is countered by some valuable support and advice that he gives to Jenna.
She begins an unlikely and completely inappropriate relationship with a newcomer in town (Nathan Fillion), all while her belly is rapidly expanding. They painfully try to control their feelings, but finally realize they just can’t fight it anymore. While the relationship is wrong on so many levels (that they are both married is just one reason), it is the first time Jenna has ever been really happy, and it is quite heartwarming to see. Fillion and Russell work nicely together, and have such chemistry that you could actually see them falling for each other.
Russell (TV’s former Felicity) is as sweet as some of the pies served in Joe’s Pie Diner. Watching her as Jenna will be a memorable experience as she makes you laugh and cry and even accept her inappropriate relationship. More leading roles should come for Russell after her solid performance here.
It’s quite understandable why Jenna doesn’t love her husband. He’s abusive, controlling and selfish. When he finds out his wife is pregnant, he actually makes her promise that she won’t love the baby more than she loves him. Jenna’s friends give her a baby book so she can keep track of all her baby moments. She begins writing a letter to her unborn child, with words that are both angry and apologetic.
Becky and Dawn have some problems of their own — Becky is married to an invalid and Dawn hasn’t been too lucky in love, then finally meets Mr. Right — but the movie doesn’t focus too much time on that. The strong friendship among these three very different ladies is a focal point, though, and it is nice to watch.
Knowing that the movie’s writer, director and co-star no longer is around makes seeing Waitress a bittersweet experience. Everything comes together nicely at the end of the movie, and you’ll leave humming or singing the sweet little song Jenna’s mom used to sing to her.
Like the pies Jenna creates, Waitress has just the right mix of ingredients. ••
Movie Grade: A-