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Without a doubt, this is the funniest movie
I have seen all year and I doubt there will
be one funnier. This is funnier than "The Aristocrats"
because it takes the utter baseness of that
film and turns into from verbal into visual
and plot. Albeit, there are no incest or feces
jokes, but there is enough crudity and utterly
debauched sexual hi-jinx in the film to more
than make up for its lack of diversity. It's
much funnier than "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and
"Wedding Crashers" because, unlike those films,
it refuses to have a "heart" or a "meaningful
message." Those two films insisted on breaking
away from their more debasing messages about
women, sex and going to the bathroom to ultimately
end up as a celebration of love and heterosexual
monogamy. "Waiting..." has no such intentions.
It wants to be crude, silly, sophomoric and
gross and it succeeds at this in every frame.
This is moronic beauty, a celebration of vulgarity,
and it is hilarious every moment of its running
time.
The lead here is Ryan Reynolds and he is,
without a doubt, one of the most hilarious guys
under 20 in movies today. His delivery is perfect.
Yes, he's playing pretty much the same guy that
he played on TV's "2 Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza
Place" a few years ago, but who gives a fuck?
Yes, it's the same character as "Van Wilde."
again, I don't care - and you shouldn't either.
Reynolds has had more success recently in more
serious yet just as schlocky films like "Amityville
Horror" and "Blade 3" but I hope Hollywood doesn't
begin to see him as a serious actor. His comedy
have failed miserably at the box office - and
I have no doubt that this film will flop financially
as well. But to think that Reynolds might not
be used in film comedies in the future is the
kind of thing that breaks my heart. Yes, he's
gorgeous as hell but he is also riotously funny
and "Waiting..." is a perfect example of Reynolds
at his absolute best.
The supporting cast is also perfect here.
I love John Francis Daley and I love to look
at him. He's in this film a lot and his cute
face simply radiates with youthful wonder. (He
has a great soliloquy at the end of the film
as well). It's also easy to look at Justin Long
and like Reynolds and Daley, he is more than
just a hot body and a pretty face. He does a
wonderful job here as well. The funniest guy
besides Reynolds, however, is Luis Guzman who
is given the lion's share of outrageous humor
to deliver. Guzman is one of the hardest working
actors in Hollywood and it brings a film lover
like myself much joy to see him get a big role.
He will make you laugh your ass off in "Waiting..."
Sadly, much of the female cast is given
little to do. Anna Faris has a starring role
and she sure is cute but she doesn't seem to
be given the same opportunities to shine as
her male co-stars. Still, her plucky charm and
crooked smile make her a delight to watch. The
most amusing female here is Alanna Ubach who
plays a chain-smoking grumpy waitress who curses
like a sailor until she hits the floor to wait
tables where she immediately turns into the
nicest person on the face of the Earth. Anyone
whose worked in a restaurant will recognize
this character immediately as someone they have
worked with.
"Waiting..." is indeed about waiting tables
and working in a restaurant. The locale here
is named "Shenanigans" and it reminds one of
the endless chain eateries like Bennigans, TGI
Friday, Chili's, and the like. But for those
who think this is just going to be an extension
of the subplot in "Office Space" that starred
Jennifer Aniston as a waitress in just such
a restaurant, think again. "Waiting..." is a
much more realistic and raunchy - and therefore
hilarious - look at working in such chain restaurants.
There's even jokes about the training videos
that anyone who works for a retail or food service
corporation will get immediately.
"Waiting..." is a low-budg film, but it's
bad cinematography and grainy film stock work
in its favor, making it seem edgy and independent.
The humor here is the lowest of the low-brow
and these low quality film images make us believe
we are seeing a work by someone who didn't have
a whole lot of money but defiantly worked to
get his film out there. (This is writer/director
Rob McKittrick's first film). The fact that
several rather well-known actors, like Reynolds,
Faris, Guzman, Daley and Chi McBride took roles
in the film is a testament to just how edgy
and funny the script truly is. "Waiting..."
should make you piss your pants with laughter.
Good luck getting any of the characters in the
film to help you clean up the mess.
Notes:
Also with Max Kasch, Andy Milonakis and
Dane Cook.
Produced by Chris Moore of Project Greenlight
fame among a plethora of others.
Milonakis and Kasch do a rap song about
their characters over the end credits.
Filmed in Louisiana though no particular
setting is established.
Viewed at a sneak preview at the Metropolitan
in Austin in September of 2005.
Report Card
Script: A+
Acting: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: B-
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: C
Final Grade: A+
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