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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Mar 5, 2016 2:25:45 GMT -5
WaitressDir. Adrienne Shelly Premiered May 2, 2007 Four months into this series, and we’re getting our first indie movie. Welcome to May 2007, probably the first really good month of the year for movies. Though not without its share of crap, May gives us our first superhero movie, our first musical, and a truly legendary slate at Cannes (about which more later). It’s quite a shock to the system. Waitress is the third and final feature from director Adrienne Shelly, who sadly never lived to see it released; in November 2006, she was murdered by a disgruntled and likely psychotic construction worker. Months later, the film was the toast of Sundance and became an unlikely swan song for a cinematic talent cut tragically short. So how does it hold up? Keri Russell stars as Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and pastry chef savant who plans to win a pie contest and start a new life far away from her abusive husband (Jeremy Sisto). When she becomes pregnant, however, her plans unravel, and she quickly falls under the spell of her awkward but charming– and married– obstetrician (Nathan Fillion). The weakest link in the story itself is husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto), whose cartoonish villainy resembles a redneck version of Bradley Cooper in Wedding Crashers. It’s unpleasant and out of place. At the same time, the rest of the film, with its lo-fi soundtrack and overabundance of small-town quirk, is a little too cute. Nonetheless, Shelly’s distinctive visual style elevates the film, as does the natural chemistry between Russell and Fillion. In addition, Andy Griffith is a joyful presence as the finicky, sarcastic owner of the restaurant where Jenna works. Overall, Waitress is okay. Sign this was made in 2007The film nearly drowns in 2000s indie tropes. Next Time: Spider-Man 3
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Mar 5, 2016 12:06:33 GMT -5
I absolutely adore this movie, and I don't care what anyone thinks! Yes, it's insanely twee, but Russell and Fillion are just so goddamn CHARMING.
The only plot I really hated was the plot with Ogie (Eddie Jemison) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly). Ogie is played off as silly and romantic in the end when really he's a fucking creep who wears down Dawn. It's a gross subplot.
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Mar 6, 2016 11:58:31 GMT -5
MrsLangdonAlger That and a few other things just made me think that Shelly didn't think she had enough content to fill a whole movie. Whereas the film as it is feels the need to stuff as much dialogue in there as possible, I think a more stripped-down version would've worked better.
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Post by MarkInTexas on Mar 6, 2016 17:08:13 GMT -5
Maybe they needed to replace some of the dialogue with musical numbers. We'll see if that is true when Waitress: The Musical opens on Broadway on April 24.
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Post by Return of the Thin Olive Duke on Mar 8, 2016 23:05:37 GMT -5
Journal Entries of the Damned Excerpt from May 2, 2007
I'd rather not repost what I wrote, as it details the last time I ever fought someone (see my Freedom Writers review). Just let it be said that he deserved it, and was expelled the same day for randomly attacking people pretty much every day, for example throwing rusty nails at girls on the street.
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