Waitress and International Women's Day

Hello KM467, I'm so glad that you posted the above link. It is much appreciated.

I'm glad that you enjoyed the film and were capable of appreciating Shelly's message. Just because women have traditionally been forced into domestic roles, it does not mean that cooking and child-rearing are automatically inconsistant with feminism. As I said on another thread, empowerment lies in the act of choosing, and not in the nature of the choice that is made. Jenna took control of her life and pursued her dream with no need of a man beside her. If that dream was 'woman's work', then so be it!

However, I'm afraid that I must correct you on two matters. The first is that 'Waitress' was not Adrienne Shelly's first film. During the 1990's she wrote and directed three short films and two feature films. The two features were 'Sudden Manhatten' in 1997 and 'I'll Take You There' in 1999. However, some critics said that prior to 'Waitress' Adrienne Shelly just channelled her mentor Hal Hartley and that this film was the first that showed her true hand as director. So your error is quite understandable in the circumstances.

The second is that Adrienne was not killed by a burglar during a bungled robbery. She was murdered by a stalker on what is the most significant date in the occult calendar - the Day of the Dead. On the 1st Novemember 2006 Diego Pillco, a Ecuadorian teenager who had gained access to Shelly's building as part of a renovations crew, broke into her apartment and attacked her. It is pretty much accepted that his primary motivation was rape. When he had finished with her, he wrapped the bedsheet around her neck, dragged her into the bathroom and hanged her - alive and kicking - from the shower rail. Pillco said that it 'reminded him of stringing up pigs back on the farm' during questioning.

Due to a lack of forensic evidence, and the fact that Pillco had neither a lawyer or diplomatic representive present during his interview, a plea-bargain was cooked up in which Pillco would confess to manslaughter during an opportunistic burglary. However, Shelly's husband Andy Ostroy branded him a 'stalker, rapist and cold-blooded killer' during the sentencing hearing. This position was supported by the NYPD officers who investigated the case.

Hmmm... I think you should watch Waitress again as I found little with which to agree in your review.

For example: [ An apt metaphor for how domestic work is often considered worthless, Jenna (Keri Russell) is forced to hand her salary over to Earl (Jeremy Sisto) every day after work, leaving her totally dependent. ] While I agree that she turned money over to Earl and that he intended to keep her dependent, 1, I think it was her tip money, and 2, she kept money back and did not give all of it to him, and 3, I saw nothing in Waitress that would lead me to conclude that domestic work is often considered worthless. The later especially seems an agenda that you are putting into the film.

For example: [ her journey through three hellish trimesters with her two best friends and her doctor make her strong enough to follow her passion–pie making. ] Ah, 1, I thought this film was about the empowering quality of motherhood, and 2, I don't recall anyone trying to prevent her making pies, and 3, I think Old Joe's $270,450 gift is what enabled her to open her own pie shop. (And, by the way, her doctor was a cad.)

For example: [ Through the film Shelley [sic] also questions the oft-promoted notion that all women just want to be married and have children, either openly or, if they’re career women, as a guilty secret teased out by some dashing love interest. ] I must have watched a different film. I don't recall seeing anything that would lead to your conclusion. On the contrary, Dawn, the character played by Shelly - not "Shelley" - herself, marries Ogie and she seems quite pleased. Also, Jenna having her baby is the main mental decider that prompts her to finally dump Earl. Dawn certainly just wanted to be married and, at least after the fact, Jenna wanted to have children (or at least keep her child). Your agenda seems to have prevented you from correctly interpreting the film.

For example: [ feminist doctor (Nathan Fillon) ] - The guy was a cad. He played footsie with her for 7-1/2 months leading her on that he might help her get away from Earl, but he did nothing. All the while he had a wife with whom he clearly shared a living relationship - note Jenna's hospital room scene between when she gets the epidermal and when she delivers. Do you really admire this guy?

BTW, if you have control over the thesaintscreen.wordpress.com web site, you might want to supply a more direct link here as I would guess that, in a short while, the content will change and no longer apply to Waitress.

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