Overview
A waitress navigates love and life’s challenges while dreaming of freedom through pie-baking.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- bittersweet
- quiet weekend
- romantic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film sweet, smart, quirky, and well-made, with witty writing and a superb Keri Russell performance balancing whimsical humor against bittersweet emotion.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jenna invents phenomenal pies whose flavors reflect her moods while she saves money and imagines leaving Earl.
Jenna is unhappily married, squirreling away money, and struggling to find a way out as pregnancy complicates her plans.
Joe's diner connects Jenna with Old Joe, Cal, Dawn, Becky, customers, and the daily rhythms of small-town life.
Jenna develops a mutual attraction with Dr. Jim Pomatter despite both her marriage and his marriage complicating the affair.
Films like Waitress, and why
The Good House
small-town romantic dramedy with witty dialogue, emotional complications, and a woman seeking independence
Enough Said
warm, character-driven romantic comedy balancing humor, infidelity, and difficult personal choices
The Kids Are All Right
female-centered independent comedy-drama about constrained domestic life and self-determination
Chocolat
bittersweet romantic drama using food, intimacy, and personal reinvention as emotional anchors
Movie Details
- Director
- Adrienne Shelly
- Release Date
- 2007-05-25
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (586)
Cast
- Keri Russell
- Nathan Fillion
- Andy Griffith
- Cheryl Hines
- Adrienne Shelly
- Jeremy Sisto
- Eddie Jemison
- Lew Temple
- Darby Stanchfield
- Cindy Drummond
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Waitress about?
- A gifted small-town waitress channels her trapped hopes into extraordinary pies while pregnancy, an abusive marriage, and a dangerous attraction force her to reconsider escape.
- What is Waitress like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Waitress as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Waitress violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Waitress as mild.
- What did critics think of Waitress?
- Critics broadly found the film sweet, smart, quirky, and well-made, with witty writing and a superb Keri Russell performance balancing whimsical humor against bittersweet emotion.
- Which films are like Waitress?
- Films with a similar feel include The Good House, Enough Said, The Kids Are All Right, and Chocolat.
- How long is Waitress?
- Waitress runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Waitress?
- In United States, Waitress is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
