So I didn’t realize until too late that it was a mistake to walk into Waitress hungry. I mean, I knew that the film centered around a pie shop, but I had no idea just how much focus would be put on close-up shots of mouth-watering pies. Wow. There should be restaurant screenings of this film.

Waitress is a joyous movie, told simply, executed beautifully. It’s the kind of heart-warming movie that doesn’t feel sappy or sentimental, with an ending that’s earned, not tacked on.

Jenna is stuck in a joyless marriage and trapped in a job at a small pie diner where making pies provides most of the happiness in her life. When she finds out she’s pregnant, she’s not ecstatic or upset or relieved, just indifferent. All she cares about is that nobody congratulate her on the pregnancy, because it’s nothing to get excited about. Things get complicated in her life when she starts an affair with her new doctor. She doesn’t really understand her attraction toward him, but what she does know is that he is definitely good for her. Back at the diner, Jenna has two friends who have equally pitiful lives, and she also has a close friend, an older man who owns the diner and enjoys making small talk with her.

That the film puts Keri Russell front row and center as a commanding new screen presence is an understatement. I’ve loved Ms. Russell ever since her days on Felicity, where I always felt she had what it took to become a major film actor. Since the Felicity days, she’s only popped up in small parts in films here and there, like We Were Soldiers, Mission Impossible III, and The Upside of Anger. It is with great satisfaction to report that after her wonderful performance in this film, she will be appearing in major roles in two more films coming out later this year–August Rush and The Girl in the Park. It looks like someone is finally waking up. Here Russell infuses her infectious charm into a deliriously quirky role that could’ve been played over-the-top by other younger actresses, but Russell always keeps the character of Jenna real. Even though Russell has been around for a good decade or so now, her performance in Waitress feels like the work of a break-out performer, someone who has hid in the shadows for awhile and who is finally blossoming and making herself known. Here’s hope for further great work from Ms. Russell.

While there are plenty of terrific performances in this movie, particularly from Nathan Fillion and Cheryl Hines, it is the moving performance from the legendary Andy Griffith who tries and succeeds in stealing the show. At 80 years old, he can still play comedy and drama with ease. The friendship his character Old Joe shares with Jenna is quiet but noteworthy, and it has a tremendous payoff. Nothing hit me more than anything in the movie like his speech about the delectable taste of chocolate strawberry pie. While I’m not that familiar with either of his major shows–The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock–I fell in love with Mr. Griffith in this movie and am happy to see he’s still a working actor.

The tragedy of the film is that its talented writer/director Adrienne Shelly was murdered last November in her apartment. She would sadly never live to see her last movie with an audience or see the huge success and love people have with the movie. That Waitress is by far her biggest success as a filmmaker must be truly gratifying to people closest to Shelly. It’s a major loss, as she would’ve gone on to do more great work with both writing and directing. At least we have this movie to delight in her imagination.

I loved this movie. It’s not that original or different, and there’s nothing truly striking in the cinematography or editing. It’s just a lot of fun, it has a nice pace, and Keri Russell is absolutely glowing. In the midst of all these numbing threequels, Waitress is a breath of fresh air. It sure makes me want to get baking… Chocolate Marshmallow Pie, anyone?

3 1/2 stars (out of 4)