MovieChat Forums > Waitress (2007) Discussion > Disappointed

Disappointed

posted 16 years ago by SapphireMind
26 replies | jump to latest

:( I love Nathan Fillion, and like Keri Russell, but I just finished watching it and had to post because I was so unhappy with the movie.

Maybe because I'm in the medical field and have gone through rough spots in my marriage, but NF should lose his license and what he did was disgusting and unethical. It creeped me out very badly and ruined any possible enjoyment I could have gotten from watching the relationship.

Yeah, her husband was bad, but leave before you cheat. Neither one of the main characters were very sympathetic, and I don't see her changes as being positive or necessarily believable.

I was expecting this to be a cute chick flick, and it was not in the least.

[–] billysoffhismeds 16 years ago

but NF should lose his license

??? what license? His "acting license"?

It was just a movie! Would you say "Nathan Fillion should go to jail" if he played a character who committed a crime in a movie?

You're never really *beep* if you've got a good story and someone to tell it to. ~ Novecento

[–] stephan-128 16 years ago

leave before you cheat?
she was trying. she was trapped, and possibly in danger. he was monster. she was not perfect - she was miserable, frustrated, confused, frightened. the chemistry between she and the doc was very powerful and very positive. they weren't proud of what they'd done, but in the end they each had an enormously positive effect on eachother. life is messy. they were basically good people, and then some. regardless, if you didnt like the movie because you thought it was poorly done that would be one thing. but you stated reasons for disappointment seem merely sanctimonious.

[–] SapphireMind 16 years ago

DO you realize just how unethical it is to get into a relationship with a patient, especially one you are currently treating? It goes beyond unethical into creepy and disgusting. Maybe the general public just doesn't realize how bad it is because of shows like Grey's Anatomy and whatnot.

But, getting involved with a patient is linked to rape in my mind. Even if they are willing, you are in a position of power over them, you know more about them than they do you, they are constantly being put in a position of weakness and submission by the provider, and the patient is likely weakened and not making good decisions anyway.

I don't fault her character as much as I do his. He should lose his medical license and go to jail.

[–] sohamorrohit-125-260623 13 years ago

I keep hearing this all the time. Even from psychologists. What I don't understand is, why is it so? What is so "unethical" about liking/loving a patient? If you're taking advantage of someone, it is unethical regardless of whether he/she is your patient or not. But if you genuinely care about a person, logic tells me that if anything, you're going to take special care for his/her treatment.
I would really like to know what is so unethical about such situations. Because, honestly I don't understand it.

I may be on the side of the angels. But do not think for a second that I am one of them.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] SapphireMind 16 years ago

I meant his character should have lost his medical license. I didn't care enough about the characters to learn their names and have referred to them as the actors' names.

[–] starlit-sky 16 years ago

completely agree with your comments. almost every character in the movie was cheating on their spouse and they had great excuses. it's like they had no other choice than cheating.

If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you

[–] mtm63 16 years ago

Because he's a controlling, immature, abusive jerk. The answer doesn't change no matter how many times you ask the question.

Gotta go. Kisses.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mtm63 16 years ago

I've answered it before.

Gotta go. Kisses.

[–] apple2991 16 years ago

So copy and paste it, sport. If you've answered it so many times before, that should be easy!

[–] mtm63 16 years ago

I got bored with doing so. They've fallen off the board. He's not worth my time to do it again, (as he seems to me to likely be a troll), and anyone else with common sense knows the answer.

I just let the newbies handle it for the most part.

Gotta go. Kisses.

[–] seeno_evil63 16 years ago

I can't believe you let one single, UNIMPORTANT bit of information about the movie ruin it for you. BFD if he was a doctor, that's not what the movie was about and that's not what their relationship was about.

[–] elle-07 16 years ago

The only think I was disappointed with was that...ok I just finished watching the movie for like the 10th time but I'm completely blanking on their names...so all I was disappointed with was that the 2 main characters didn't end up together. The ending wasn't bad and it probably would have been longer if they'd gotten together but everytime I watch, I still hope they'll get together.

[–] owenrcarpenter 15 years ago

Lets get this 100% straight from the start, Jenna is no saint. She has a good many unlikable characteristics. Jenna is deceitful, selfish and opportunistic. She is also extremely ungrateful. When Earl discovers the nest-egg she has stashed away to fund her getaway, she escapes his wrath by telling him that the cash was ear-marked for the outfitting of a nursery. Her unborn child has just saved her from would surely have been the biggest beating of her life, yet in the very next scene she is cursing her 'damn baby' in her diary. Soon afterward she actually raises the possibility of 'selling' her baby in order to make up for the loss!

What changes her - to quote Meredith Brooks - from a Bitch to a Mother is her long-overdue acknowlogement of her responsibility towards others. This begins with her kindness towards Joe (the biggest 'cheater' of them all, a good man too afraid to be recognised for what he truly is) and her acceptance of his wise advice (to start fresh) along with his generous cheque. Jenna then breaks off the pointless and ultimately destructive relationship with the Doctor, and courageously interposes her frail body between Earl and that of her helpless child. Jenna is redeemed by the love she accepts from Joe and that which she extends to her baby Lulu.

Those posters who expressed 'disapointment' at Adrienne Shelly's film have done so because it is not what they expected to see. They sat down to witness a romance between a Doctor and a Waitress, and instead they saw a love story between a mother and her daughter. This, quite simply, is what Adrienne's film is, a love letter from a parent to a child.

[–] luann-4 15 years ago

That was very well put, and that's what I "saw" in the movie, too.

I was secretly glad Jenna didn't end up with the doc (though how could anyone walk away from Nathan??) :^) because there seemed to be little "signals" that he wasn't really going to "save" her. Yes, his love helped her grow and make her final escape, but he was doing it by cheating on his wife, who is revealed to be a good and trusting woman.

Jenna kept saying, "You can't save me" and that was finally revealed, at the very end, to be exactly what she meant (though she didn't know it when she said it)--she had to save HERSELF.

What I liked is that when she finally saw her baby, she fell in love with her--something hard to explain but very common with giving birth. And by finally loving her daughter so much, she found the courage to do what she had to do for HERSELF (get away from Earl) and be HERSELF, for her daughter's sake.

As a parent, there came times in my life where I did what was right for me because I knew my daughter had to see that, so I really related to that moment in the movie. (No, it wasn't about leaving my husband.) :^)

I thought it was a tiny bit of a cheat for Joe to leave her so much money, to tell the truth, but when he did, then it became a little bit of a fairy tale (which the beautifully color-saturated cinematography supported, too.)

And I agree, it wasn't a real "romance" so much as a "coming of age" saga for Jenna--stepping up to the plate for her daughter's sake.

I actually liked this better the second time I saw it, because I knew she wasn't going to end up with the doctor & it was easier to see why, knowing that.

[–] petitchanteuse 15 years ago

I was secretly glad Jenna didn't end up with the doc (though how could anyone walk away from Nathan??) :^)

Funny, I always think the same thing about Jeremy Sisto even though he plays his share of whack-job characters that I would cross the street to avoid in real life.

I'm not sure what his appeal is, but (as an actor) Nathan Fillion does absolutely nothing for me.

[–] gelyn_64 13 years ago

^I agree with the previous two posters, luann-4 and owenrcarpenter.

This movie was a very pleasant surprise. I had my doubts about it in the middle, but the ending worked everything out and turned out really nice. I was quite proud to see her end the affair with the doctor and start doing things for herself, and ultimately her daughter.

I think most of the ppl who were 'disappointed' were expecting a traditional Hollywood chick-flick (and I think the way it was marketed led some people into believing this), and to be honest I was kind of expecting the same, but I was surprised to find a quiet, charming, and ultimately moving film devoid of the hopeless pandering commonly found in chick-flicks.

Plus the scene at the end where she's making pie and singing that song to her daughter really struck a chord in me :)

It really does deserve a higher rating, 7.6 at the very least.

[–] youropheliac 15 years ago

Can't resist correcting this, sorry!

She actually suggests selling her baby (as it's her "pretty much her only financial asset at present" (paraphrasing) to get some money in the beginning of the movie, right after Dawn and Becky give her the baby book as a present. :)

[–] owenrcarpenter 15 years ago

Thanks for pointing out my error, Youropheliac. Mea culpa.

[–] treedcub 14 years ago

I agree that the doctor's behavior is unethical according to a rigid standard of professionalism, but I think those ethics are there to prevent doctors from abusing their "power" over their patient through manipulation. I didn't perceive any manipulation on his part at all. He was simply honestly attracted and in love. This really seemed like a relationship between two equals. I didn't feel the need to condemn him for what he did, especially since he clearly knew he was in the wrong, and made it clear that he knew it.

[–] OperaGhost88 14 years ago

"Those posters who expressed 'disapointment' at Adrienne Shelly's film have done so because it is not what they expected to see. They sat down to witness a romance between a Doctor and a Waitress, and instead they saw a love story between a mother and her daughter. This, quite simply, is what Adrienne's film is, a love letter from a parent to a child."

I completely agree, and I do so because I was guilt of the same feelings. I rented this film in the mood for a fluffy romantic comedy that would lift a bad mood and wouldn't require much thought. I was so caught off-guard by what this film actually is, that at first I really did not care for it. But in the days after when I was able to mull over it a bit, I came to the same conclusion: that it's not a film about love between a man and a woman, but love between mother and daughter.

For in these once-familiar streets I feel the chill of ghostly shadows everywhere.

[–] PlatinumScreen 14 years ago

sapphiremind, my literal brain totally agrees with you about both dr. pommater's and jenna's actions. also, the movie did thoroughly embrace adultery as seemingly the only option for a person who finds herself/himself in an unhappy marriage.

with that said, it's usually hard for me to suspend reality while watching a movie, but.........................

i loved it anyway, every single second. maybe because of the pies. food always gets my attention. i also thought andy griffith was very good in this.

[–] crunchykitten 13 years ago

SOOOO much better than a cute chick flick! Cheap, cute chick flicks are a dome a dozen- you'll have no trouble finding one, or twenty, to watch. This one is a funny, sad little movie with characters who have real personalities and do real (dumb) things, in a somewhat fantastic setting and story. Exceptionally good actors and a whimsical story. (I work in the med field too, and the ONLY realistic thing about med dramas is that everybody is screwing everybody else, serially or simultaneously. But they're not as pretty, are they?)

[–] CatelynTullyDidNothingWrong 13 years ago

I really liked it but you're right, what they did was stupid. I was glad she told him it was wrong, though, after she met his wife.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2qi2reh.jpg