Waitress

4 Popcorn Kernels

"Waitress" is an awfully feminist flick but the humor will have both genders hungry for more.

The movie is sweet enough to satisfy the cravings of most audiences, although the ending will work the nerves of some -- especially men.

Fortunately, the talented cast of actors, including Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Andy Griffith and Cheryl Hines, are highly entertaining and make the loose ends less noticeable.

Russell plays Jenna, a country girl working as a waitress at a pie shop owned by a man named Joe (Griffith). Jenna is stuck in the middle of an emotionally abusive marriage.

Things get worse when she discovers she is pregnant. She wants to keep her job so she can earn enough money to enter a pie competition. Jenna constantly thinks up new pie recipes with unique names to match her mood or circumstance.

Then she meets her new doctor Dr. Pomatter (Fillion) and his kindness wins her over. They forge a bond and begin cheating on their respective significant others. Jenna is torn over the ethics of her behavior and finds herself critiquing her friends for doing the same things she is doing.

Jenna's confidence is low and her husband only makes it lower. He forces her to promise she will not love her baby more than she loves him. This is an easy task for Jenna, who despises her husband and does not want to have a baby.

Joe and Dr. Pomatter tell Jenna she is better than that, though, and try to convince her to take steps to improve her life.

"Waitress" is fun, cute and almost too positive. Despite being squeaky clean, the movie succeeds in winning over moviegoers' hearts through optimism, quirky characters and a catchy song about pies.

Writer/director Adrienne Shelly is far from being professionally skilled, but she apparently knows how to please an audience. Again, women are likely to favor "Waitress" more than men, but the movie provides enough universal entertainment for everyone.

It is the kind of movie you can bring your girlfriend to and score huge points. Even better, bring your mother and make up for forgetting Mother's Day a few weeks ago.

"Waitress" is an improvement over other feminist flicks (can any guy forget "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood?") and serves up warm, chewy goodness. Even the crust is tasty!