Once she finds herself pregnant, the doctor visits commence. This brings Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion, with a character name formed from a fusion of Jorge Posada, Don Mattingly, and Derek Jeter) 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 — which is mutual. 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.

The movie is a light-hearted affair that deals with adultery, unhappiness, and pregnancy. All of the characters are great. Keri Russell brings an earthy sweetness to the role of Jenna. Nathan Fillion shows again just how good an actor he is, stepping away from the smart alec captain of Serenity and into the awkward shoes of the new town doc. Andy Griffith has a supporting role as the owner of the pie shop where Jenna works; he appears as a surly old man, but Jenna knows better, that beneath the gruff exterior is a heart of gold.

What can I say? The movie was an absolute delight, and it didn't quite go the way I expected. While it was a definite crowd pleaser, it was far from your typical Hollywood-style fare. That isn't to say it was without its faults, it is just they were overshadowed by everything that was good. The biggest problem I had was the doctor's entering the affair. We do not get much of his background, his relationship with his wife, or his readiness to enter into an affair. But I guess that is a minor complaint, as the story was much more about and centered on Jenna.

Waitress was written and directed by Adrienne Shelley and is a confectionery treat; she brings a lot of life to the screen in what is one of the top feel good movies of the year. She also co-starred as the mousy Dawn. That also makes this a sad film to watch, as Shelley was murdered late last year. In November of 2006, Ms. Shelley was found murdered in her New York City apartment, days before she would receive the letter accepting the film at the Sundance Film Festival. I found that it cast a bit of a pall over what was otherwise a great experience at the movies.

Audio/Video. The copy I have is a burned pre-release copy. This being the case, I cannot speak to how well the technical quality of this disk compares to the production copy you will find on the shelves. It didn't look all that bad, but I do not wish to mislead.