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The death of Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and starred in a supporting role in the film Waitress, is a genuine tragedy.



Not that it would have been less of one if she hadn't made such a warm film and it hadn't found such success. She had a toddler daughter (two or three years old), for god's sake, seen in the film in a small role.

Nevertheless, she did make an incredibly sweet--but without being overly sugared--and warm film. For those of us who like those sorts of films, and want one day to make them, the loss of such promise goes beyond being a shame.

DVD commentary by star Keri Russell
and the film's producer, Michael Roiff, mentions more than once that Shelly intended it to be a fairy tale.

I'm not sure it is, but if so, it's a very gentle one that doesn't feel a need to tie up all loose ends into neat little bows.

Russell is extremely good here, BTW, it's a rich, multi-faceted performance.



It seems to me a very "feminine" film, which is maybe why I liked it, given that I've often been glad of feminine arts and entertainment.

Indeed one or two of the male roles are not as well rounded as I might have liked. But, given the number of blockbuster films that have been made with weak or virtually nonexistent female parts (not to mention any names, George Lucas), to complain feels like nitpicking.

Especially when this story gets so many things right.

One of the things it does get right is one of the two main male roles, Russell's OB-GYN, with whom, while pregnant, she has an affair.

The part is played by Nathan Fillion, who has a cult of loyal fans from his work on the show Firefly. Here, IMO, he's at least two or three times as good as he was there, more than likely aided by Shelly's direction and writing, he emerges as a top screen comedian.

One of my "bars" for that is, he gets laughs on lines which, written down, you might not think are funny. My favorite example:

"Well, I'm off to St. Mary's (beat) to deliver a baby (beat) because that's what I do."

Throughout, Shelly's dialogue is both witty and down to earth, so you laugh, but rarely have to ask yourself afterward, who talks like that?

But since I am nitpicking, there were a couple of instances of what I like to call "Even the score is mocking this movie" moments. Elsewhere however, the score and use of songs mostly serves the script well.

The film is not at all precious about the impending motherhood of its lead character, Jenna, which is one of the many refreshing things about it. Still, I could have done without a running gag where every time she sees a mother and her son she hears "Ride of the Valkyries."

And there are one or two moments in the script that it is possible to see coming. But in a movie like this, the point is not big Twilight Zone-like revelations. It's the people in it and the way they behave to and with each other.