Three out of Five stars
Running time: 104 mins

Sharply written, sweetly acted indie drama that's laced with an extra layer of sadness due to the tragic death of writer-director Adrienne Shelly.

What's it all about?
Keri Russell stars as Jenna, a waitress with a gift for pie-making who bakes at Joe's Diner and names each pie after events in her life. When she gets knocked up by her loutish husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto), the pie of the day is I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie and Jenna has to decide whether or not to go through with the pregnancy.

However, things get a lot more complicated when Jenna falls for the nervous new doctor, Doctor Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), and they begin an affair. Meanwhile, Earl remains oblivious to both the pregnancy and the affair and her fellow waitresses (Adrienne Shelly and Cheryl Hines) offer advice whilst juggling problems of their own.

The Good
The script is quirky and witty and the characters are extremely well drawn. The supporting cast are superb too, particularly Hines and Shelly, whose scenes with Russell are genuinely delightful.

In addition, the brightly coloured photography gives the film a strange sort of storybook quality that works well, while the pies themselves look so good you'll want to reach through the screen to try and grab them. At the very least you'll find yourself stopping off at the pie shop on the way home.

The Bad
The film's biggest problem is that Keri Russell isn't a particularly appealing lead - the film would have worked much better if Shelly had taken the lead herself. Similarly, as good as Fillion is, there's no chemistry between him and Russell, which leaves a gaping hole at the film's emotional centre.

Worth seeing?
Ultimately, Waitress looks gorgeous and is full of lovely scenes and moments but it doesn't quite come together the way it should. It's also impossible to watch the film without a profound sense of sadness at the loss of Adrienne Shelly.