Ah, the glamorous life of working in a restaurant. Dressed to kill in a neon yellow shirt. Serving Americans-pretending-to-be-foreigners so they can get away with leaving a bad tip. Singing cheesy birthday songs to prepubescents who burst into tears the moment a mass-produced, artificially-flavored slice of ice cream cake plops down on their cheap leather booth. Yep, it’s the life displayed in Waiting... — an irreverent, hilarious comedy that follows in the tradition of cult hits like Clerks and Slackers.
Even though Waiting... was released almost four years ago, I had seen only bits and pieces of it. It was a lazy (Easter) Sunday, though, and I was watching Comedy Central — what else? — with a Cavalier Daily article deadline looming. Plus, I’ve always wanted to try my hand as a waiter. With no summer internships on the horizon yet, it might be a good job to look into. That is, if I don’t get stuck working at Shenaniganz, the Applebee’s/Ruby Tuesday-esque restaurant portrayed in Waiting... Not surprisingly, first-time writer and director Rob McKittrick got his inspiration for the film while working at the sublime haven known as T.G.I. Friday’s.
Working in a restaurant with such a cast of characters would be a riot, though. The film spans an entire day at Shenaniganz, where we meet all of the degenerates within its walls. Leading the pack of slackers is bronzed and beautiful Monty (Ryan Reynolds), whose quick wit charms fragile old ladies and tank-top clad, chain-smoking high school juniors alike. Monty is in charge of training newly hired, baby-faced waiter Mitch (John Francis Daley), who is consistently both shell-shocked and never allowed to get a word in edgewise throughout his first day at the restaurant. Monty’s antithesis is Dean (Justin Long), who has been waiting since his high school graduation and has dreams of bigger and better things — dreams that don’t include becoming Shenaniganz’ assistant manager. Foul-mouthed Serena (Anna Faris), hothead Naomi (Alanna Ubach) and Dean’s girlfriend Amy (Kaitlin Doubleday) round out the rest of the wait staff, along with the neurotic freak of nature Calvin (Rob Benedict), who is psychologically incapable of urinating.
Part of Waiting...’s fun is that this diverse cast is not only perpetually funny, but also easily recognizable. Reynolds (Van Wilder), Long (Dodgeball) and Faris (all of the Scary Movies) are the film’s biggest faces. Fans of Freaks and Geeks will remember Daly, who has grown enormously since his TV days, and those of you who have seen The Brady Bunch Movie will pinpoint Ubach as Marcia’s sycophantic friend Noreen. Additionally, Dane Cook plays a crazy chef, Andy Milonakis stars as a doped-up busboy and David Koechner (Champ from Anchorman, Todd Packer on The Office) is the clueless Shenaniganz manager. Just like successful Ferrell or Sandler comedies, Waiting... employs the use of a lot of familiar faces. And, just like those comedies, it pays off — the clash between psychotic cooks, promiscuous bartenders and the lackadaisical wait staff is Waiting...’s blue plate special.
Not to say this detracts from the film’s simple yet engrossing plot — the cast’s chemistry enhances it. Monty’s ridiculous one-liners act as a good foil against Dean’s bubbling frustration, and Mitch’s blank slate throughout the day is erased in a scene at the end of the film, during which he calls out every member of the restaurant in a rare and entertaining show of rage. Former or current restaurant employees will find the revenge that the kitchen staff exerts on a plate of steak and mashed potatoes as therapeutic, while the more immature among us will enjoy the male staff’s “penis showing game” (beware of “The Goat”). Waiting... also makes the most of what its plot offers up without going overboard, clocking in at a timely 94 minutes.
My film class professor this semester said a good film reviewer is one that discusses topics like motifs, camera angles and musical score — not extractable items like the plot and characters. But to be honest, Waiting... is not exactly, well, deep. It is an enjoyable, sidesplitting way to spend an hour and a half on a Sunday, kicking back and basking in the knowledge that you do not have a five-hour shift at Shenaniganz later that night.
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