Waiting...

The people at Shenanigan's restaurant are an old mix of characters, never making their jobs boring by the amount of shenanigans of their own. Mitch is just starting and is taking the tour with Monty. Monty is the friendly yet crazy work mate, making every moment at fun one. Dean has hit a rut and questions why he still works at Shenanigan's, and cant commit with a fellow employee Amy. Dean was also asked if he wanted the assistant manager spot; to much of the content of others. Serena and Monty were dating, but they have a friendship on fake smiles and sarcasms.

The odd mix of characters of waiting make this such a wonderful. It's just not focused upon the three main characters; Monty, Dean and Serena, the background characters have their own personalities and dilemmas, adding so much more story. The development of the characters aren't fully developed, but you can still understand and sympathies to their problems. The characters are clichéd; you have seen a lot of them before; but they are so well placed and interact perfectly; there is a realism to them.

The major point of Waiting is the black humor that runs through it. It doesn't work off big set pieces and outlandish situations to make you laugh, the humor organically comes out of the characters from their dialog. A lot of the dialog is perverse, but it never seems out of place. Waiting does perfectly reflect the relationship between customer and waiter; well i did. Rob McKittrick unashamedly shows this interaction; the smart-ass customer who always complains, the regulars, and what could go behind the walls when the customers push to hard.

Ryan Reynolds brings another eccentric performance forward. He had been stuck with that eccentric ego in a lot of movies; but he does it perfectly and does another great job again. Anna Faris had finally lost that ditsy persona and shows a broader range of acting; bringing a great performance. Justin Long does have a puppy dog face a lot of the time, but really comes forward in the more serious moments. All the other actors as the employees all do wonderful performances, making the background character more interesting.

Waiting is a great black comedy on hospitality that is so painfully funny.

This movie was everything I thought it would be and more. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cringe. Most of all, it'll make you think twice about eating at another restaurant or even working at one. Each character is throughly enjoyable as is each interaction between them. It's extremely well-written and realistic. As a waitress, I found it completely therapeutic, because even though I'd never do anything to a customer's food, seeing someone else do it to someone who is deserving of it (even in a movie), is enough to make me feel better. Ryan Reynolds is hysterical in this movie, as is Dane Cook and Luis Guzman. There are so many one-liners that you'll hear for a long time, especially in the kitchen of any restaurant. It ends slightly abruptly and you find yourself wanting more...but I guess that means the writer has done something right. Go see it, and enjoy. Just remember never to break the cardinal rule: "Never, ever, f*ck with someone who handles your food."

Having spent over 30 years running bars in several countries, I can say hand on heart that there is so much in this movie that is either spot on or even sometimes understated. It reminded me so so many different times and places. A big word of advice, being nasty to your waiter will get you more than you bargained for in many countries, not just the States. You have been warned.

for anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant, this is it. for those who ever wanted to know what its like, watch this movie. granted, this is not the best movie ever made, but, you have to appreciate movies like this. first and foremost, everyone in the cast worked so well together that it actually seemed like they have worked in that place together for a long time. plus, the movie tries to be nothing but amusing, very few subplots and it doesn't dwell on them. its short, to the point, and i know i missed a ton of lines from laughing so hard. if you just want to be entertained for an hour and a half, i say check it out, its worth it.

When I first saw previews for this movie, I expected a soulless comedy about restaurant staff messing with customers. Although some people may feel that way even after seeing it, I was pleasantly surprised. From the introduction of 'the game' near the beginning of the movie, I knew this was going to be more interesting and even more disturbing than the previews.

Despite what appears to be rather thin characterization, 'Waiting' succeeds at being a good character-driven movie. I am not sure why this is. Perhaps what seem to be just childish antics add depth to the characters without us realizing it. Some people complain that 'the game' is a 10 second gag stretched out for the entire film, and on the surface, this is true. However, the game is really more of a mechanism for developing characters than anything on its own. The result is a set of very flawed, but surprisingly likable characters. Also, the ending, though a little abrupt, is entertaining largely because the movie does a good job of setting up the characters and situation.

This movie is not for everyone. If you do not like 'stupid' humor, then you will probably not be able to overlook that to enjoy the more subtle aspects. However, once you get past that, this movie is more than the sum of its parts.