Fan Review by Gary, October 11, 2009
Transcribed by Mari from sloppily scribbled notes and random verbal addenendums : )
This is a cool movie and in spite of it being filmed in Southern Calif. between Bakersfield and L.A., you really feel like you're in the Deep South. Read some reviews about how none of the characters sound Southern, like they sound fake or something, but I was raised in Alabama and they sound Southern to me, especially Nurse Norma, the distraught mother with the bratty kid, and the nurse in the delivery room with Jenna. The principal actors sounded Southern to me too. Lew Temple and Eddie Jemison might really be Southern the way they sound. Jeremy Sisto always does a great Southern Accent. Adrienne Shelly, Keri Russell and Cheryl Hines all do a good job too. Andy Griffith sounds perfectly Southern.
I don't want to open a can of trouble when I ask this, but the one less believable thing about it being the South? Hardly a black person in sight! This is the South, right?
Great movie, very natural. I love how it is so relaxed most of the time, never in a hurry, much like the South. The diner is a terrific set to watch the friendships and the hospitality come to life. The only time the film is on a raw nerve is when Sisto is on screen. His role is different than the others, and he did his job well. Keri Russell is at her most brilliant when Jenna stops being a "waitress" and shows her truly miserable life on her face.
I am really surprised this film didn't end up at the Golden Globes or Oscars for the year. It is such a sweet, authentic ensemble comedy drama and a unique story. It doesn't have that chick flick feeling at all, which is remarkable given that the three waitresses all have bad luck with the men in their lives.
