This is a movie that will put a smile on your face and a grumble in your tummy. Waitress is a sweet film that moves at a poetic pace through the dramatic comedy landscape. It successfully brings a lead character to empathize with. I found it near impossible not to enjoy this film; it has such a sweet heart, both literally and figuratively, that it is easy to forgive areas that may be a bit lacking. If you are looking for a movie that is upbeat and positive and bright without the cynicism that can creep into modern comedy, not to mention steering away from the popular improvised comedy that can be found in Will Ferrell-style comedies, this is the movie for you.

Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress and master pie maker who finds herself pregnant while trapped in a bad marriage. Trying to save up enough coin to leave her louse of a husband (Jeremy Sisto), she wants to enter a pie contest with a prize that will afford her the opportunity of leaving him for good. However, the unwanted and unexpected pregnancy has put a speed bump in her path to potential happiness. Then there is the matter of the new doctor who has taken a shine to her and her to him. This could be her last chance to be happy.

Waitress exists in a world that is not quite our own, but not so far removed as to not be recognizable. It is a fairy tale world where you know that things will work out in the end, you know that the heroine will make the right choices to be able to start her life over. There are no real surprises in the movie, but it does play out in such a way that you become involved in the lives of those on screen, at least I did. I found myself caring about Jenna, her friends, and her doctor, while I came to quickly despise Jenna's husband, someone who shouldn't be allowed to have contact with any human being.

We watch Jenna stuck in her loveless marriage, which has sucked out any desire for romantic affection, working long hours for an ungrateful boss, and enduring a pregnancy that is anything but wanted. Sounds like it would be a downer of a movie right? Wrong. The production design is brightly colored and the fictional town is populated, for the most part, with nice people who would be good to spend time with. She works with Becky (Cheryl Hines), who has a romantic entanglement that she is keeping secret, and Dawn, a girl with low self-esteem who has attracted the attentions of a weasly suitor (Eddie Jemison). The three have formed a support group for each other to get through the tough times.

Once she finds herself pregnant, the doctor visits commence. This brings Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) into the story. He is a stuttering, slightly clumsy doctor who is new to town, and has a near immediate attraction to his new patient, and likewise. The relationship starts professionally, although you can tell there are sparks flying between the two, and before you know it, they are involved in an affair.