Waitress

Keri Russell glows in the sweet, sour and sexy film by actress-turned-filmmaker Adrienne Shelly. The tartly enjoyable romantic comedy is a wonderful memorial to Shelly, who was murdered before debuting her film at Sundance 2007, and the film is strong enough to shine from under the shadow of sadness her untimely death casts. Russell is amazingly funny as Jenna, the melancholy pie queen of a highway eatery in a vaguely drawn small Southern town secretly saving money to escape a suffocating marriage to a pathologically possessive husband (Jeremy Sisto). When an unwanted pregnancy throws one more anchor around her life, the mix of desperation and hormonal overload fans the sparks of attraction to the town's charmingly nervous OBGYN (Nathan Fillion) into a four-alarm affair. While "Waitress" can be mannered, what with its sisterhood of the waitresses (Cheryl Hines and director Shelly) clucking in chorus to Jenna's ordeals and Andy Griffith as the crotchety old diner owner with a heart of gold, it's also genuinely, genially funny and carries a modestly affirming moral: You have to make yourself happy and you have to be able to live with yourself. Shelly is all heart as she watches her "Waitress" staff find their own balance, and the blood that pumps through their quirky personalities and odd relationships fills the film with an irresistible spirit. Available in separate widescreen and full screen editions.

The commentary by producer Michael Roiff and actor Keri Russell is laid back and amiable, more fun than informative but a sweet tribute to director Adrienne Shelly. The 10-minute featurette "This Is Why we Made Waitress Pie" is just as breezy and brief featurette "Written and Directed by Adrienne Shelly: A Memorial" is short and sweet tribute remembrance by the cast and crew. Also includes a profile of Keri Russell, a pie-making montage ("The Pies Have It!"), three brief interview bits with stars Keri Russell, Cheryl Hines, and Nathan Fillion (originally made as promotional shorts for the Fox Movie Channel), and "A Message from Keri Russell about the Adrienne Shelly Foundation," where the actress talks about the program created for female directors in Shelly's name.