Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Waitress

This is topic Waitress in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=001274

Posted by Carol May (Member # 4068) on 05-23-2007, 10:27 PM:

I saw Waitress a couple of days ago, not expecting too much, but was very impressed. Felicity is all grown up! Keri Russell did an excellent job in a roll that was both universal and leaning towards the surreal. The other characters were quirky, odd, but not so different that you couldn't relate. There was plenty of story to keep you involved for all 107 minutes, and the audience was absolutely quiet.

A nice touch was that there was no technology to give it a specific year. No cell phones, no computers, very ordinary cars. It gave it a bit of a timeless feel.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 05-27-2007, 10:23 PM:

CINEMA: 13th Avenue Warren, Wichita, KS
AUDITORIUM: 20
PRESENTATION: 35mm/Mystery Meat Digital
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None
RATING: Two and one half stars (out of four)

You know what's dumb? It's on 13th STREET.

If there was any doubt about the awesomeness of this multiplex, hear this...They played a Warner Bros "Merrie Melodies" cartoon before the trailers. Porky Pig got spooked by some leprechauns. I kid you not.

Before Porky, we got girl talk! Because the room was full of them. "Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah"...They say things like "I'm going to grow my hair out when I'm pregnant" and "That skirt is SO cute but there's so MUCH of it...It takes an hour to iron."

Oh yeah...That Memorial Day announcement I mentioned during "Pirates"? The announcer has a name. He announces himself as "the Voice of the Theatre". "This is the Voice of the Theatre". I SO want that job.

It was a chick flick with quirky characters. It had an evil husband. It had an asshole boss. It had bus service in a community that would absolutely NOT have bus service. It had a hospital in a residential home. And it had ridiculous sounding pies that everybody in the movie adored. And it was cliche, unoriginal, and dumb, and everybody in the room totally bought into it because it was cute and quirky. Just enough so to work.

If Bogdanovich had gotten hold of this and tuned it up a bit, it would have been awesome.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 05-28-2007, 06:30 PM:

I can't agree with Sam on this one. I thought it was a nice, sweet movie that was very entertaining. The characters are interesting and the parts are very well acted. Keri Russel is a delight and Andy Griffith is just perfect.

This could be one of those sleeper films that sits in smaller rooms and plays for quite awhile. The "old folks show" (11:20 on Sunday morning..thanks for those $4 shows, AMC!) was about 95% full. Didn't seen a teen in the house anywhere!

This film should get very good "word of mouth" and attract a slow but steady business. Film is being heavily advertised locally with a large newspaper display ad...larger than anything else in town. Playing on 2 of 3 screens at a local independent and 1 medium-small room at AMC 24 plex.

If you have a choice, try not to book this film next to something loud, such as 28 DAYS LATER. The "booms" leaking through were quite distracting from this nice, quiet film.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-15-2007, 01:08 PM:

"Chocolate" without the magic.

Otherwise, Sam nailed it. Louis