The Waiting Game

Ever been to an independent film festival? Can be a real mixed bag - experimental stuff, the requisite foreign fare, a few obscure shorts with bizarre plots and bad lighting. But there are always a few good films too... and if you're really lucky, you'll catch a flick that simply blows you away. For me, "The Waiting Game". WOW. Not only is it a completely fresh take on what could have been food for cliche, it is bold, surprisingly funny, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. Strong performances from the ensemble cast effect a genuine chemistry, although it is perhaps ironic that the unfamiliar faces add to the film's appeal. Writer/director Ken Liotti deserves big "attaboy" for an engaging plot that refuses to settle for predictability but always delivers on cue. In short, "The Waiting Game" is a keeper. It is an outstanding accomplishment by any measure and it easily ranks as one of the best independent films I've ever seen.

Andi (Terumi Matthews) and Lenny (Will Arnett) are best friends and thespians, who make ends meet by working in the same restaurant. Struggling actor, Dan (Daniel Riordan), is likewise employed at the establishment, as well as a bevy of others. Each hopes to make it big. Each spends his or her day with petulant customers, all the while searching for romantic fulfillment for themselves and their colleagues. Who will give up their pipe dreams and who will stay in the hunt for fame, prosperity, and love? This film is a showcase for the plentiful pleasures of ensemble work. While the cast boasts no stars, each thespian portrays the angst and the aspirations of career choices that are ruthless with aplomb. The New York setting is always appealing as well. Do you favor romantic stories that also deal with showbiz wannabees? You will do yourself a favor by giving this film a try.

Manhattan's restaurants are the mecca for a lot of aspiring actors, a route most young thespians follow before they are discovered, because these eateries provide them with an income to help them pursue their goals. The city could be cruel to those that are starting in a highly competitive environment of the performing arts. The disappointments of the actors are at the center of Ken Liotti's account about the lives of some of these people as they balance dreams with reality.

Mr. Liotti gathered a nice cast of basically unknowns that make this film a bittersweet experience as one follows the different friends he presents to us. While the movie gives us an account of these people's lives, it keeps the viewer interested in this sunny indie film.

Will Arnett, Debbon Ayer, Dwight Ewell, Eddie Malavarca, among the young cast, are actors that, hopefully, will make it big in their own mark in films.

The film will delight viewers of indie films thanks to the inspired direction by Mr. Liotti and his sunny performers.