Waitress

It's hard to imagine that Adrienne Shelly who wrote, directed, and co-starred as lovable Dawn Williams in the film has been gone for 5 years after a brutal murder in New York City. This film was her lasting legacy. When you watch the film, you are seeing genius at work. Granted, there are some flaws in the film but nothing could take away from what it brought. The cast stars Keri Russell as Jenna (a pie making genius) who works as a waitress at Joe's Diner in a small town. She's pregnant and in an unhappy marriage to abusive Earl. Cheryl Hines plays Becky, another waitress who has an invalid husband at home. Adrienne Shelly plays Dawn, the awkward but lovable waitress who finds love unexpectedly. Anyway, Jenna's pregnancy and her job as a waitress makes her realize a lot about herself. She has an interesting relationship with Dr. P. (played by Nathan Fillon) in the cast. It's a great small film. One of those gems that you wished there were more of. I loved seeing Andy Griffith play Joe. He's great.