Seen: May 31st, 2007
Format: Theatre
Rating: 8
I went into the theater thinking I'd see a slightly quirky romantic comedy. The trailers looked good, and I hoped that they weren't the whole film, that there was something more to latch onto. I didn't get just a romantic comedy ... really. I got something different, something more. Something deeper and wider. I did get the romantic comedy too, but that was just the sweet crunchy crust. The insides were different.
Call it a slice of life.
There's something about singer-songwriters. It's difficult to be a good one, but the work they produce tends to be complete. To be whole. They're compelling that way. They sound different, the songs feel different.
The same is true with writer-directors and the rarer writer-director-actor. Their films tend to be complete, to be whole. They can have a consistency of tone and action that gives them almost a feel of their very own.
Waitress has this in spades. The film has so many facets, so many personalities, but there's a consistency of delivery, of tone, of spirit, that makes the melange not only work, but work well. The movie uses the pie metaphor continuously and rather blatantly, but it works because it really fits. The blending of flavors is what powers this film, and if this film is a reflection of Adrienne Shelly, what she thinks powers life.
This film allows its characters to be who they are. There's no apology here. There's weird people, grumpy people, neurotic people, even good people with simple and forgivable failings. Most of them are cliches, but that doesn't make them unreal. All these people do what they do, be who they are. This creates tensions and problems, but they aren't high drama, they're the low flying dramas of everyday existence. Sure they get to the point where they demand change to resolve them, but this is normal too.
I hate to fall back to this, but these people are real to me. Maybe it's because I've seen them in a thousand other films. Maybe it's because they each idealize and represent an issue or problem with which we're all familiar. Maybe it's because even though they're a little bit larger than life, they're not so large that we can't imagine knowing them.
The one thing that felt just slightly out of place here was an undercurrent of woman-power. There seems to be some subtext that women don't really need men, and that men are generally emotional baggage. This is alleviated somewhat by the fact that Shelly's character is the only one with a relationship, but it made me think and re-evaluate a bit.
Despite the over-analysis above, it can be enjoyed on many levels. The dialogue and writing in general is great. It's clever and quirky, occasionally bitter and sweet.
The acting is serviceable, and by that I mean it serves the film. There's no grandstanding here, just solid characterization and delivery in most aspects. Andy Griffith's performance was a very pleasant surprise. Sisto was very well cast also, though Earl seems to play to his strengths.
Technically it's solid, but this film really isn't about those things. The circular pans are a nice touch though, really exaggerating the magic of those moments.
See this one, with someone you care about if you can. It'll give you something to talk about, which is never a bad thing.
Postscript: After seeing this film, I learned that Adrienne Shelley had been killed before its release. This really upsets me. I think this film demonstrated a blooming of her talent. I still want to see her previous work, but I'm sad that I won't see anymore. That seems a bit selfish, but there it is. Rest In Peace, Adrienne.
The Good: Pie in all its varieties
The Bad: Can't think of a thing
The Ugly: Taking care of Earl
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