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Avg. Critic Score: 75 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

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

  • 100
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    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 full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

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

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

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

  • 80
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    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 full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    Shelly left her daughter - and her audience - a wonderful gift, this movie about the transforming effects of motherhood. Waitress shows how, in giving birth, a woman gives birth to herself - as artist and mother. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    This sweetheart of a comedy boasts a hilarious and heartfelt performance by Keri Russell. Read full review

  • 75
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    Waitress isn't a great film, but it is great, deep-dish fun, with a generosity of spirit that extends first to the sisters on the screen and in the audience, then to the rest of humanity. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post |

    Among the joys here are the supporting players, each with well-defined stories and quirky personalities. Cheryl Hines (HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm") and Shelly play fellow waitresses searching for their own happiness, and good ol' Andy Griffith is memorable as the curmudgeonly diner-owner who takes a shine to Jenna. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Dennis Harvey

    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 full review

View more reviews for Waitress on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Indie tackles tough topics but is as sweet as pie.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that although this quirky indie dramedy is ultimately heartwarming, it tackles very mature themes like spousal abuse (emotional and physical), loneliness, infidelity, and unhappiness. Protagonist Jenna's husband Earl constantly ridicules and demeans her, treating her like a possession. In one scene, he hits her in the face; other times he grabs and pushes her. Two different sets of couples commit adultery, but in one case the characters decide to part ways. In the end, the movie is very sweet and ends up being about a woman's immediate, undeniable love for her baby.
  • Families can talk about the movie's messages about starting from scratch, building self esteem, and staying loyal to friends. Why do you think Jenna stayed with Earl, even though he was a horrible husband? How should you deal with abuse if you encounter it in your own life? Families can also talk about the fact that Jenna says that her doctor is the first person who ever listened to her and cared what she had to say. Teens: Who really listens to you? And, on a lighter note: Which of Jenna's elaborate pie names is your favorite, and which one did you want to try?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Sends the message that it's never too late to start fresh, even when you think you're stuck in an awful situation. Jenna realizes that adultery may feel right, but it's still wrong.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence: A few upsetting scenes of domestic abuse: Earl pushes, shoves, and grabs Jenna. In one scene he strikes her in the face and then immediately begs for forgiveness.
  • sex false3 Sex: Jenna and her doctor kiss passionately and have an affair, but the sex is fully clothed and very discreet. Earl and Jenna have a humorously short sex scene in which viewers hear his loud orgasm. Another two characters -- both married -- are caught kissing.
  • language false3 Language: Minor: many utterances of "damn," and otherwise the occasional "ass" and "bitch." Lots of name-calling ("stupid," "crazy little freak," "ape," "psycho," etc.).
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: One of the waitresses smokes a cigarette in several scenes.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

4.5

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… really sweet and moving. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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