Waiting (2005) A review by Shlomoh Sherman Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Waiting (2005) Director: Rob McKittrick Writer: Rob McKittrick Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, John Francis Daley Plot: Young employees at Shenaniganz restaurant collectively stave off boredom and adulthood with their antics. Plot Keywords: waiter - dishwasher - flashing - cook - restaurant - Taglines: If you don't like it, beat it. Genres: Comedy Motion Picture Rating (MPAA) Rated R for strong crude and sexual humor, pervasive language and some drug use Official Sites: Lions gate Films [United States] Country: USA Language: English - German Release Date: October 7, 2005 (USA) Also Known As: EAT THIS Filming Locations: Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA Box Office: Budget: $3,000,000 (estimated) Opening Weekend: $47,273 (Brazil) (July 28, 2006) Gross: $47,273 (Brazil) (July 28, 2006) Company Credits: Production Co: Eden Rock Media, Element Films, L.I.F.T. Production Runtime: 94 minutes

Storyline: I had never heard of this movie before two days ago. I recorded it blind on a whim. This has to be one of the craziest and funniest movies that I have ever seen, and believe me, in my 77 years I have seen a lot of funny movies. Waiting... is about a typical day [24 long hours] in the lives of a group of young restaurant workers on shifts at Shenanigan's, a typical diner in Everytown, USA. We witness the personal crises in the lives of these young people outside of work as well as the SHIT they have to put up with as service people taking care of an indifferent and selfish public. I believe that once in my life, 1958 in San Franciso, I worked as a busboy for a week but the details are now dim in my mind. It has taken me a long time to learn to treat service people, especially in restaurants, with dignity and respect, and even to outwardly epathize with them. Their jobs are nothing but financially and emotionally unrewarding and often, as one of the characters in the film, Dean,  notes late in the movie, traps from which there is no easy escape. In one scene, with which any real waiter/waitress will identify, Dean, who has been offered the position of assistant manager, waits on a table of foreigners who tip him very poorly. He angrily accosts the customers, returning the tip, telling them that they must need it more than he. Later in the film, Karma asserts itself when one of his ex-school buddies shows up with his wife or girl-friend and leaves him a $100 tip. When he confronts the friend, telling him that he has made a mistake by leaving him so large a tip, the friend responds with "I figured you need it more than I do." Reviewer leilapostgrad from Austin, Texas, says: "All the characters in Waiting are based on the real people who work in every restaurant. There's the hot/slutty/underage hostess, the fat and ugly cook who somehow dates a really hot waitress, the stoner/punk bust boy, and the manager with the chip on his shoulder. All the customers in this film, the cheap red necks who don't know how to tip, the bitchy women, the drunk and horny men, are all customers I've waited on. And no filmmaker has ever so accurately portrayed the complex and irreconcilable tension between the wait staff and kitchen staff", and she is so right. Amidst all the regular day-to-day restaurant mayhem is the mayhem that the employees create for themselves to relieve themselves of the work tedium. The anal and genital games that they play with each other are outrageous and really funny and those games start almost as the film begins and last until the bitter-funny end. And then there is the ordinary sex stuff that you'd expect from a film about poeple in their 20s. The verbal battle between Monty and Serena where they out each other's sexual ineptitude, the sexual advances on the part of Dan the manager towards a barely age legal employee, the problem of the penis shy Mitch who finds it difficult to urinate in public in the presence of other men, and much more. As you will notice from reading the soundtrack music listed below, the music has been carefully and cleverly selected by the movie makers. Pay special attention to the end credits where the wigger busboys T-Dog and Nick do a rap which is also playing behind this review. It's a great funny ending to a really funny movie. In one sequence of the film, they actually say to one of the black characters, "Fuck you, Whitey!" No matter what you get out of this film, one thing is sure. You'll never look at reataurant service people the same way you have in the past. AND you will be very circumspect about sending food back with complaints unless you do it in a very respectful way. Plus - you will laugh your ass off if your sense of humor is as sick as mine! Kudos to: Anna Faris whom we have seen in the Scary Movie series. Justin Long from Drag Me to Hell, He's Just Not That Into You, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Live Free Or Die Hard, Jeepers Creepers, and Idiocracy. Luis Guzmán, our favorite Puerto Rican actor who has been in far too many films for me to even begin to mention. Max Kasch [T-Dog] and Andy Milonakis [Nick], our favorite wiggers! Max is remembered from his appearences in Red Eye and Holes. Andy is known for The Andy Milonakis Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Andy suffers from a growth-hormone condition that gives him the appearance and voice of an adolescent when, in fact, he is a grown man. Andy says: "I've been into it [hip-hop] my whole life, but it's different from the white kids who dress the part, and their slang is obviously fake and all that. When these kids pose, it sounds so fake when every other word is like, 'Yo, yo yo!' and 'knowhutimsayin'?' I might say some s**t when I'm around my boys and stuff, but I hate the ones who give white kids who listen to [hip-hop] a bad name."

Did You Know? Trivia: In an original incarnation of the script Calvin was the character who couldn't piss, and Brian was a character who couldn't get the girl. The parts were combined at the last minute. Goofs: When everyone is discussing their total earnings for the night, Naomi lights her cigarette twice. After Dean receives the business card and crumples it up, he throws it to the ground. In the next shot it is still in his hand. Before Naomi pulls up her skirt, you see a for a second that she really has underwear on. When everyone is discussing their total earnings for the night Naomi lights her cigarette twice. When Dean looks at Chet's bill, the time on the bill says 6:38. However, minutes earlier, the cooks showed the time was 11:57. When Raddimus is in the bathroom stall having sex with his girlfriend, she covers his mouth with her hand. In the close up, his mouth is not covered. During the first party sequence Monty walks in and greets Serena, who is in the black chair. The camera cuts and pans over and Serena is sitting on the end of the couch farthest away from the black chair. During the first shot of the end party sequence, Monty walks out and offers Calvin a beer, walks over to the bar and begins talking to Serena, You can see the High School girls in the background. Cut to close-up of high school girls, enter Serena from the right, follow her left and there is Monty standing at the end of the line. Towards the beginning of the movie Monty comes through the main entrance of the restaurant he is wearing Converse All Stars, a few minutes later he is wearing black dress shoes then later Converse again. When Dean is bringing cocktails to the Jack's Steakhouse owner's table, he serves cocktails to the two people on Jack's right. The camera instantly cuts to Jack, who raises his hand with a full cocktail in it. When Monty says, "It's cherry-poppin' time", Calvin stands up. Then in the next scene he is sitting down again and then stands back up. When Dean gets to work with Serrena and his girlfriend, the camera is reflected in the window of his door when he opens it. When Mitch is watching the training video, the side of the TV is visible and it is obvious that the VCR is not connected to the TV. Quotes: Dean: "Hey, Floyd, make sure there's no bacon on the chef salad. It's against their religion." Floyd: "Yes Masta. Right away, Masta. Ain't gon' be no, no bacon on the salad Masta." [while getting whipped with a towel] Floyd: "NO! AH! NO!" Floyd: "[singing] Mm-hmm-hmm, no bacon on the salad!" Crazy Credits: Credits include a music video starring Andy Milonakis and Max Kasch. Soundtracks: Out of the Blue - Written by Stephen Lang, Jamie Dunlap and Scoff Nickoley - Performed by Lewis LaMedica - Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource Nick and T-Dog's P-H-Fat Rap Written by Andy Milonakis Performed by Andy Milonakis and Max Kasch Music by Dean Shull Courtesy of Waiting, LLC Callin' Out Written by T. Shimura Performed by Lyrics Born Courtesy of Quannum Projects / Asia Born Music By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music No Tomorrow Written by The Blackouts Performed by The Blackouts Courtesy of Lucid Records From the Album "Living in Blue" Habanera Traditional Arrangement by Georges Bizet Performed by Jeannette Nicolai and the Compagnia d'Opera Italiana Orchestra and Choir Published by Extreme Production Music USA Moonshine Written and Performed by The Rattlesnakes Peekaboo Perfect Explore (ASCAP) Arranged with Falling Elevator! Music Group Trojan Horse Written and Performed by The Rattlesnakes Peekaboo Perfect Explore (ASCAP) Arranged with Falling Elevator! Music Group Kamikaze Sunrise Whiten and Performed by The Rattlesnakes Peekaboo Perfect Explore (ASCAP) Arranged with Falling Elevator! Music Group Gangsta Rap Written by Adam Gorgoni Performed by Adam Gorgoni Electric Version Written by A.C. Newman Performed by The New Pornographers (as New Pornographers) Courtesy of Matador Records Copyright Control Days Turn into Years Written and Performed by Reaching Forward Courtesy of Bridge Nine Records Reaching Forward Copyright Control Arranged with Falling Elevator! Music Group Don't Let It Get You Down Written by Britt Daniel Performed by Spoon Courtesy of Merge Records Henry Neuman Songs (BMI) Administered by Bug Battle Hymn of Republic Performed by Adam Gorgoni Can't Fight This Feeling Written by Kevin Cronin Performed by REO Speedwagon Courtesy of Epic Records Fate Music (1984) Copyright Used by arrangement with Sony Music Publishing Out of the Blue Written by Stephen Lang, Jamie Dunlap and Scoff Nickoley Performed by Lewis LaMedica Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource Inspection (Check One) Written by Neal John Barnes, Danny Clarke and Terence Daley Performed by Leftfield Courtesy of Sony Music International By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing Fashion Fatale Written and Performed by Read Yellow Courtesy of Fenway Recordings Read Yellow Music (ASCAP) By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music Here in Your Bedroom Written by John Feldman Performed by Goldfinger Courtesy of Mojo/Jive Records (ASCAP) Operate Written by Peaches and Rebecca Henderson Performed by Peaches Courtesy of XL Recording Ltd. Published by Bug Music/Copyright Control Copyright 2004 XL Recording Ltd. Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights Written by David Terry Performed by Aqueduct Courtesy of Barsuk Records W. David Terry (EMI) 2004 By arrangement with Bank Robber Music More Than Meets the Ear Written by Christopher Gross, Eric Shenkman, Mark White and Aaron Comess Performed by The Spin Doctors (as Spin Doctors) Courtesy of Epic Records Sony/ATV Songs LLC / Mowb'Jow Music, Inc (BMI) By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing Without Meaning Written by T. Ackerman, I. Moreno, E. Reyes and J. Tweedy Performed by Sunday's Best Courtesy of Poly Vinyl Records Remember How Good It Was, Atlas Celars, The Canadian Woods and Bent Wookie Music (ASCAP) Hottie Written by Max Hart Performed by The High Speed Scene Coaster Brake Music Are You Ready Written by Large Pro and Kaos Performed by Large Pro Courtesy of High Rise/KJ Johnson Music (ASCAP) Large Professor Music (ASCAP) 2004 By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music Will My Lord Be Gathering Written by Kurt Keasley Performed by Lilys Courtesy of Manifesto Records Inc. Social Architect Music/Third Palm Music (BMI) Frantic (Roman Polanski Version) Performed by Aqueduct Written by David Terry Courtesy of Barsuk Records W. David Terry (BMI) By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music Open Casket Access Written and Performed by The Blackouts Courtesy of Lucid Records From the album "Living in Blue" (ASCAP) Frequently Asked Questions Q: What are the differences between the R-rated version and the Unrated version? Q: Is "Waiting" based on a novel? Q: So, did Dean take the assistant manager job? Message Boards: Recent Posts: "Restaurant owner's CAN take a % of tips....." - Hiphophippie23 "For those who whine about tipping..." - mstbeta "A tip isn't optional" - bgsmith33 "Why would you ever want to work in a restaurant?" - jalenxa8 "Messing with the food" - mgp85 "Dean should've let Dan fire him..." - bigdan7885 Discuss Waiting... (2005) on the IMDb message boards

Cast: Cast overview, first billed only: Ryan Reynolds ... Monty Anna Faris       ... Serena Justin Long       ... Dean David Koechner ... Dan Luis Guzmán       ... Raddimus Chi McBride       ... Bishop John Francis Daley ... Mitch Kaitlin Doubleday  ... Amy Rob Benedict ... Calvin Alanna Ubach ... Naomi Vanessa Lengies ... Natasha Max Kasch       ... T-Dog Andy Milonakis ... Nick Dane Cook       ... Floyd Jordan Ladd       ... Danielle

My daughter sent me the following comment:

I saw this film when it came out and laughed my ass off. The best part is at the end when the new guy gives them "the goat" and becomes "the man". I make sure that every time I got out to eat (which is often), I tip well and ask the waiter / waitress their name so that I can talk to them like a human being and not a servant. And if I didn't have a phobia already, the scene in which the lady customer was a total bitch and sent her food back taught me NEVER to complain about the food or else the kitchen staff will completely use it as a toilet before returning it to me. Love the movie and love that you are making more opinionated reviews, Abba.

August 9, 2014 at 9:56 PM