Tip the "Waitress"

"Pregnant Miserable Self Pitying Loser Pie." Marie Callender's better watch out because Keri Russell is mixing up some comfort food on the screen that people who are ready for a tasty little movie are going to devour like those freaks in a hot dog eating contest. "Waitress" is one of the most buzzed about movies out there -- not MARKETED movies (yes, I have 13 Shrek Green straws in my backseat from ordering my diet Cokes at McDonald's every afternoon now) -- buzzed about by people who really need a good, nay, feel-good movie. It just so happens that "Waitress" also has a surprising performance by Felicity herself. The story is set in an imagined Dixie diner, where the waitresses greet customers in a Southern singsong that suggests the actresses playing them have probably never been south of Santa Monica Boulevard. Jenna is unhappily married to Earl (a fabulously jack-arsed Jeremy Sisto), a louse who collects her tip money at the end of every shift as if he were her pie pimp. She's been baking her "I Hate My Husband Pie" for a long time. Early in the movie, Jenna admits that drinking makes her do stupid things, "like sleep with my husband," which has resulted in a bad case of morning sickness, and will soon result in an even worse case of "Baby Screaming It's Head Off In the Middle of the Night and Ruining My Life Pie." Supporting Russell are Flo Kiss My Grits-inspired Cheryl Hines (hilarious) and writer/director Adrienne Shelly (who plays Ugly Betty-meets-Veira from Alice "Dawn"). Now, the horrible thing is that Shelly was murdered in her apartment right as this movie was finished so you watch her on screen with sadness and disbelief that something so horrible could be associated with such an entertaining slice of work. That being said, the movie covers adultery, abuse, misery, heartache, love, friendship and more baked into a humble pie. Russell is the filling that makes it all seem a little more real and her turn as "Jenna" is a much better example of a TV actress having some real acting chops then when Jennifer Aniston got so much buzz for "The Good Girl." What I loved the most is the relationship between Jenna and a fantastically cast Andy Griffith (yes, that one). The two eat up the screen and leave you wanting seconds or thirds. You forget what a great actor Griffith is and how much we long for even yet another installment of Matlock. So, if you're looking for pie in the sky, this movie isn't perfect. But if you're looking for fantastic performances, an interesting story line and a break-through actor (regardless if her hair is long or short), go see "Waitress" right now. TTGP gives "Waitress" a 4.5-pack out of six. And tip her well, please and thank ya!