Waitress Critic Reviews

Part feminist fable, part romantic fairy tale, it is by turns tart and sweet, charming and tough, rather like its heroine and like Keri Russell, the plucky, pretty, nimble actress who plays her.Read the full review

Serves up an irresistible helping of delicious fun with writing that is tart and sharp and a story infused with sweetness.Read the full review

When you watch Waitress, you're also watching a meta-movie about Shelly's brutal end, and the spirit that bursts from every corner of this overcrowded movie is so genuinely warm that trashing it feels like panning a so-so baton-twirling performance at the church talent show.Read the full review

While aspects verge on sitcom terrain, this tale of a pregnant small-town woman caught between a bad marriage and a risky affair is mostly as funny and charming as intended.Read the full review

A pleasant dramatic comedy that overcomes its tonal inconsistencies by presenting an engaging lead character with whom its virtually impossible not to empathize.Read the full review

The writer-director Adrienne Shelly, who died in New York City late last year at the age of 40, took such perishable ingredients as wit, daring, poignancy, whimsy and romance, added passionate feelings plus the constant possibility of joy, decorated her one-of-a-kind production with pastel colors and created something close to perfection.Read the full review

It's an imperfect film, but it's the kind of imperfect film of which it would be nice to have seen Shelly make more.Read the full review

Waitress deserves an essay, not just a review. There are perfect moments that stand out, and the reasons for their perfection are interesting.Read the full review

A wee romantic charmer, a delectable Dixie screwball romp that never loses its spry sense of discovery.Read the full review