- Title: Waiting…
- IMDb: link
Is Waiting… great cinema? Well no, but it’s damn funny. A perfect vehicle for Ryan Reynolds, with some wonderful supporting performances, in much the same vein of his title role in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. A nice little comedy that’s well worth checking out.
Monty (Ryan Reynolds) is the coolest guy at Shenanigan’s, an Applebee’s style restaurant. His co-workers include best friend Dean (Justin Long) who is agonizing over the state of his life, out spoken waitress Serena (Anna Faris ), timid Amy (Kaitlin Doubleday), and Naomi (Alanna Ubach ) who’s one bad tipper away from some serious carnage. We’ve also got the dorky manager Dan (David Koechner), jail-bait hostess Natasha (Vanessa Lengies), crazy chef Raddimus (Luis Guzman), the grill guru Bishop (Chi McBride), and new trainee Mitch (John Francis Daley).
The movie’s loose plot involves Monty showing new trainee Mitch around the laid back atmosphere of the restaurant that includes a very odd game the workers like to play with each other. Most of the group is stock characters like the white teens who think they are black, T-Dog (Max Kasch) and Nick (Andy Milonakis) who resemble Jay and Silent Bob a little too much for me. I won’t even get started on McBride’s magical/philosophical negro or Jordan Ladd as the man hatin’ lesbian bartender.
The heart of the movie is Reynolds who, as always, eats up scenery and delivers cutting one-liners. He gives a great performance that carries the movie even through its rougher patches. What makes the movie work is the cast is so large and the jokes move along so well that we never have to to concentrate on how thin the basic premise or how stock these characters are; we’re too busy having fun. The entire film takes place during one day and will teach you many reasons why it would be fun to visit, but you would never want to work there.
The film is wonderfully sarcastic and funny and every character, even Monty, takes a few jabs on the chin. It’s a nice adult style comedy that many will compare to Office Space, though this movie doesn’t lose all it’s steam in the final act. There are some witty jokes and fun moments in this cool little flick and when you go make sure you stay through the entire credits, trust me. Although not a perfect film by any means, its charm easily covers its flaws. Shenanigan’s is a fun place to visit, but always remember don’t ever mess with the people who handle your food