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 & 15 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?

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Plot Keywords:

pregnancy | waitress | unhappy marriage | unwanted pregnancy | domestic violence | 

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Taglines:

The Year's Most Delicious Romantic Comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [United States] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amor aos Pedaços

Filming Locations:

Sleepy Valley Ranch, Agua Dulce, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$92,034, 6 May 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$19,067,631, 21 October 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Night and Day Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Adrienne Shelly was murdered shortly after the film's completion. Keri Russell was called in to record a Director's commentary for the DVD in her place, recounting the on-set creative process and decisions that went into making the film.

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Goofs

When Jenna is making Dawn's "Falling In Love" chocolate mousse pie, the sun is pouring in from the window behind her. The previous shot established it was already night.

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Quotes

Dawn: I don't care if she is a pie genius. I wouldn't trade places with her.
Becky: No, me neither.

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Crazy Credits

There's a 'pie mistress' on the crew.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Condemned/Snow Cake/Waitress/Diggers (2007)

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Soundtracks

MIDAS TOUCH
Written by Simon T. Scott, Richard Davis, Dan Trilk
Published by Golden Gods Music (BMI)
Performed by The Golden Gods
Courtesy of The Control Group, LLC

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.