Qualified movie recommendation

Last night I took in an advanced screening of Waitress. If you've heard anything about this movie, you probably know that the writer/director/co-star, Adrienne Shelly, was murdered before it ever came out. Apparently she was once the indie It Girl, and this movie may have been her introduction to wider fame and acclaim, had things not gone the awful way they did.

Irrespective of the sad behind-the-scenes story, here is my take on the movie. It's intentionally quirky with a capital "Q," and thematically similar to The Good Girl, though a little fluffier. Some of the dialogue is stilted and rings false, certain plot points are pretty obvious, and the ending was a little too pat for my personal tastes. Despite all that, though, the movie somehow charms. Though you have to, of course, credit Shelly for much of the movie's winsomeness, it's really Keri Russell who brings the movie home.

The supporting cast is a veritable who's who of folks you've seen on TV. Nathan Fillion was my favorite, and Andy Griffith as an old curmudgeon was great. Cheryl Hines has a little less to do and mostly just smiles her big gigantic smile throughout. And, in no great typecasting departure, Jeremy Sisto plays the guy you'd rather not know.

I'm not sure I'd recommend spending a full ten smackers on it, but it's worth a Netflix.