Best of 2007?

Well...we're 5 months into 2007, and we have an early front runner for Best Movie of 2007 in my book. With Grindhouse, Zodiac, Hot Fuzz, the combo of Bridge to Terabithia/the Last Mimzy, Reign Over Me, and 28 Weeks Later leading the pack so far but with no real separation, it was about time something came out and created some distance between the pack. That something is Adrienne Shelley's last film, Waitress.

Waitress is a simple story about a young woman named Jenna (Keri Russell) whose life is not at all what she wants it to be. She's in a horrible marriage with a terrible man (Jeremy Sisto doing some of his best work ever) who mistreats her, she is constantly belittled by him in public (wait until you hear the honking...), plus, she is pregnant with his child that was conceived when he got her drunk and...well...you know what happens there. Her life begins crumbling once she discovers she is pregnant, as she begins an affair with the new OB/GYN (Nathan Fillion) in town simply because he is a good man who befriends her and treats her well, she begins falling more and more into her pies (which are used as a wonderful tool to more accurately describe her current emotional state), and she begins latching onto a grumpy old man (Andy Griffith) who owns the diner she works at. She knows only a few things...she doesn't want to be with her husband, and she doesn't want to be having his child.

What follows is a wonderfully quirky story about the wonder of life, an uplifting tale about how much a child can change a persons life for the better, and just a life affirming look into how you do not have to take the hand you were dealt. How regardless of how hopeless a situation can look, you can always do more with it given a little inspiration. The entire ensemble cast is a knockout, but Keri Russell is an absolute revelation. She's always been gorgeous, but now she definitively has the talent to match. Her on-screen chemistry with Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Serenity fame definitely helps, as every time they are together they sizzle and make the screen brighten with their earnest relationship. Her relationship with co-workers played by Shelley and Cheryl Hines (of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame) also is a highlight, as they display great chemistry together, as a band of true friends and Jenna's one true support group. As mentioned earlier, the use of pie in the movie to give us a description of Jenna's current emotional state - "'I want to leave my stinking husband' pie...3 sticks of Hershey's chocolate inside a chocolate crust...pour melted chocolate over and bake..." - is a very creative one, and a wholly entertaining one at that. It weaves perfectly and logically into the fabric of the movie, as everything else does as well. There is no fat on this movie, just a warm pick me up of pure emotion as we near full out summer time.

This is just one of those movies every year where you do not see it coming and it hits you like a pile of bricks. Do not miss this, as it is something everyone should see. Not to mention it features the legendary Andy Griffith in a major role and is the last movie Writer/Director/Star Adrienne Shelley will ever make, as after completion of the film she was tragically murdered. Support this most excellent film, then tell your friends and get them to tell their friends. This movie deserves appreciation and love, and if it doesn't find its audience now I am certain it will on DVD.

Waitress: A