Waitress (2007)

Jenna is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress in the deep south. She meets a newcomer to her town and falls into an unlikely relationship as a last attempt at happiness.

Director:

Adrienne Shelly

Writer:

Adrienne Shelly

Stars:

Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto

6 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keri Russell	...	Jenna Hunterson
Nathan Fillion	...	Dr. Jim Pomatter
Cheryl Hines	...	Becky
Jeremy Sisto	...	Earl Hunterson
Andy Griffith	...	Old Joe
Adrienne Shelly	...	Dawn
Eddie Jemison	...	Ogie
Lew Temple	...	Cal
Darby Stanchfield	...	Francine Pomatter
Heidi Sulzman	...	Exhausted Mother
Lauri Johnson	...	Nurse Norma
Sarah Hunley	...	Dr. Lily Mueller
Cindy Drummond	...	Hospital Nurse
Nathan Dean	...	Minister
Caroline Fogarty	...	Doctor's Assistant

Storyline

Jenna is unhappily married, squirreling away money, and hoping to win a pie-baking contest so, with the prize money, she'll have enough cash to leave her husband Earl. She finds herself pregnant, which throws her plans awry. She bakes phenomenal pies at Joe's diner, listens to old Joe's wisdom, tolerates her sour boss Cal, is friends with Dawn and Becky (her fellow waitresses), and finds a mutual attraction with the new doctor in town. As the pregnancy advances, life with Earl seems less tolerable, a way out less clear, and the affair with the doctor complicated by his marriage. What options does a waitress have?

---

Plot Keywords:

pregnancy | waitress | unhappy marriage | unwanted pregnancy | abusive husband | 

---

Taglines:

If only life were as easy as pie.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jenna and Earl argue in bed, the scene originally concluded in a sexual encounter that Keri Russell described as "kind of rapey." While filming the scene, Jeremy Sisto's sympathetic delivery of the line, "You're my sweet thing", caused Adrienne Shelly to reassess her original concept of the character. She changed the scene on-set to end with Earl quietly going to sleep.

---

Goofs

When Joe orders his lunch, he distinctly asks for two glasses of water with no ice to be brought to the table before the orange juice and the meal. Jenna brings two glasses of water, one orange juice, pie, and tomato. Joe complains about the ice, and the fact that Jenna did not bring salt and pepper to the table, but does not criticize the fact that Jenna brought the whole order together, rather than separately, as instructed.

---

Quotes

Jenna: Well, Cal, it seems that I'm almost five months pregnant.
Cal: Yeah? And?
Jenna: And... I thought I should tell you.
Cal: Heck, I already knew that.
Jenna: You did?
Cal: Yeah. Heck, I thought everyone knew.
Jenna: Well who told you?
Cal: Nobody needed to tell me. I mean look at you. What, you think I thought you went and let yourself get fat? Truth is, as long as you can carry a tray and fill a pie tin I don't care if you give birth while doing it. Maybe I'm not such a bad guy after all?
Jenna: Maybe you're not such a bad guy after all.
Cal: Well get out ...

---

Crazy Credits

There was (also) a Pie Gaffer!

---

Connections

References Modern Times (1936)

---

Soundtracks

Every Kinda Everything
Written by Brian B. Henneman
Published by Bug Music, Inc. o/b/o Koog Town Music
Ray Farm Music, Seven Shades Music, Shakey Bean Music (BMI)
Performed by The Bottle Rockets
Courtesy of Undertow Music

User Reviews

Funny and touching

Waitress is a great, funny movie starring Keri Russell as a small-town waitress who discovers that she's pregnant just as she's planning to leave her jealous, controlling husband. The typical Hollywood approach for a movie like this would be to film it in ultra-serious "movie of the week" mode, but writer/director/actor Adrienne Shelly chose to tell her story in an extremely stylized, almost fairy-tale style. The stylized dialogue, super-sharp photography and primary-color palette even reminded me of the movies of Joel & Ethan Coen at times, but in the end, this movie packs an emotional punch that the Coen brothers have rarely achieved. It also features a brilliant (and brilliantly human) performance by Andy Griffith as the horny old geezer who owns the diner where Russell works.

This movie has a good chance at achieving a Little Miss Sunshine-style breakout this year. It's funny, quirky and honestly touching. Waitress stands as a fine legacy for Adrienne Shelly, but if things had been different, it could have been the movie that launched her into the mainstream instead of her swan song.

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waitress

Filming Locations:

Sleepy Valley Ranch, Agua Dulce, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$92,034, 6 May 2007

Gross USA:

$19,074,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,240,529

Company Credits

Production Co:

Night and Day Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1