I think the one thing that makes me love movies are the feelings that they can make you feel. Rarely in this day-and-age where blockbusters rule the theatres (don’t get me wrong, I love a great action sequence) do moviegoers find a film where they can really feel for the characters that are playing out life on screen. In a new summer tradition, I called up my friend for our weekly Tuesday “bucket night” date at the Bev and we decided to catch the new Keri Russell flick Waitress; and I have to say, I’m glad we did. Adrienne Shelly (Revolution #9) wrote, directed and acted in this, her final film before she was tragically murdered in November of last year. The film follows Jenna (Keri Russell - Felicity) who works in a restaurant creating and serving up pies (like the “I hate my husband” pie). She is in a marriage to a man named Earl (Jeremy Sisto - Six Feet Under) whom she does not love and controls her every move. Right away Jenna finds out she is pregnant and she is very adamant about how unhappy she is about this pregnancy. Jenna’s pregnancy leads her to Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion - Drive, Firefly) who she begins to have an affair with. Through her affair with Dr. Pomatter, her friends (Adrienne Shelly and Cheryl Hines), the lovable grumpy old man Joe (Andy Griffith), and especially the birth of her baby, Jenna learns to appreciate herself and finds out who the true love of her life is. Before you go off thinking this is a sappy love story, I can safely say that it is; but not in the conventional way. Throughout the film, Jenna is upset about having a baby because she looks at it as a burden, as an attachment to the life and the husband that she wants to get away from. And without ruining the ending, the look that Jenna gives to her baby when the nurse puts her in her arms is one that just radiates love and emotion.

Now for you guys that are reading this thinking “Kendra, you are gonna make my girlfriend take me to another sappy movie” I can say yes it has it’s emotional points but it also has a whit and comedy to the writing and performance that makes the audience laugh out loud. The sarcasm that comes from the characters is something that many can appreciate and is also very real. While at times it can seem that some of the characters feelings are slightly exaggerated, there is such a real feel to the film and those “exaggerated emotions” that makes you appreciate each character, even the controlling Earl. Each character seems to have their own stories to tell that intertwine with each other throughout the film.

In memory of Adrienne Shelly; writer, director and actress; June 24, 1966 - November 1, 2006.