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This romantic comedy is as sweet as the pies that its main character bakes. Writer/director Adrienne Shelly brings a female touch to the genre, which is so dominated by male directors, while female viewers are the main audience. There is a more realistic view of romance, keeping in mind that women have more things on their mind than finding a good man even when they are trying to find a good man. Or get away from the bad one as the case may be.

Jenna (Keri Russell, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER) is the top pie investor at a small pie diner. She is squirreling away part of her tips so that she can escape her smothering husband Earl (Jeremy Sisto, 2003’s THIRTEEN). Then she learns that she is pregnant. She gets support from her co-workers Becky (Cheryl Hines, TV’s CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly, TRUST), but she can’t find any enthusiasm for her condition. The owner of the diner Old Joe (Andy Griffith) can read Jenna like an open book and the cantankerous man was no problem giving her unwanted advice. Moreover, she has to deal with her overwhelmed, new gynecologist Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion, SERENITY). But to quote the Rolling Stone, “you don’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you’ll get what you need.”

Russell really captures the depth of her character. Someone who has lost the enthusiasm for life due to a great deal of lost dreams. The pregnancy is just another obstacle to get in the way of her freedom. Shelly gives her a rarely complex romantic lead and Russell delivers. She brings such honesty to the part that despite being a fairly miserable character we still sympathize with her. Sisto, a very underrated actor, gets to play an original “bad” husband. He does get emotionally and physically abusive, but it’s his neediness and oppressive paranoia that is the most stifling part of his personality. Jenna is never allowed to be an individual. This allows Fillion’s charming doctor to intrigue her. Like every good romantic comedy, we need to want the romantic leads to be together, which Russell and Fillion make easy.

The rest of the supporting cast is solid as well. Hines’ sassy and Shelly’s frumpish waitresses are a great comic duo. Eddie Jemison (OCEAN’S ELEVEN) also adds a nice dose of silliness as Ogie, the never-say-never suitor of Dawn. Another award worthy performance comes from big and small screen legend Griffith. His foulmouthed character plays wonderfully against his clean-cut TV image. It’s a good part too, much more than the typical old man who has the right advice for the moment.

With the tragic murder of Shelly in one’s mind, there is a bittersweet feeling that surrounds this film. WAITRESS has all the hallmarks of a typical romantic comedy, but far more depth. Shelly is more interested in the characters and their journey than giving the audience what is expected from the genre. She finds a nice balance between the unexpected and the desired. Jenna gets what she wants and needs, but not in the way she thought she would.