User reviews

Having spent over 30 years running bars in several countries, I can say hand on heart that there is so much in this movie that is either spot on or even sometimes understated. It reminded me so so many different times and places. A big word of advice, being nasty to your waiter will get you more than you bargained for in many countries, not just the States. You have been warned.

When I first saw previews for this movie, I expected a soulless comedy about restaurant staff messing with customers. Although some people may feel that way even after seeing it, I was pleasantly surprised. From the introduction of 'the game' near the beginning of the movie, I knew this was going to be more interesting and even more disturbing than the previews.

Despite what appears to be rather thin characterization, 'Waiting' succeeds at being a good character-driven movie. I am not sure why this is. Perhaps what seem to be just childish antics add depth to the characters without us realizing it. Some people complain that 'the game' is a 10 second gag stretched out for the entire film, and on the surface, this is true. However, the game is really more of a mechanism for developing characters than anything on its own. The result is a set of very flawed, but surprisingly likable characters. Also, the ending, though a little abrupt, is entertaining largely because the movie does a good job of setting up the characters and situation.

This movie is not for everyone. If you do not like 'stupid' humor, then you will probably not be able to overlook that to enjoy the more subtle aspects. However, once you get past that, this movie is more than the sum of its parts.

This movie is a fun, comedic romp. It's has dick jokes, sexy Ryan Reynolds and teaches the lesson of respecting the people who serve you food. What else could you want?

In many ways this movie can be compared to another successful cult comedy by the name of "Office Space". Both films are about what really happens in a stressful working environment. While "Office Space" and "Waiting" do share similar plots, first time director Rob McKittrick seems to have more of a flare for slacker comedy than Mike Judge.

What also makes this comedy stand out is the great casting and colorful characters. The always funny Ryan Reynolds leads the crew of misfits including Anna Faris, Justin Long and the incredibly hilarious Luiz Guzman.This movie can get a tad immature at times, but those who love movies like "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" will absolutely worship this picture.

To the people who have never worked a day in a restaurant, this movie is NOT for you. To the people who go to a restaurant and treat the staff like $hit, This movie is NOT for you either. Trust me, save yourself the realization of just what you've REALLY eaten, cuz your life will be much better if you never find out. For everyone else, this movie is perfect. Its never going to win any awards, and doesn't even try to. From the 5-second rule to the intermingled sex lives of the staff to the retarded manager, this movie hits the nail right on the head. It seems like someone in Hollywood finally got some money to throw around and decided to pay homage to his life before being "Someone" in Hollywood. I laughed till i cried through the first 30 minutes and the rest of the movie was just as good. It's destined to become a cult classic for anyone in The Industry and will definitely be on my bookshelf the day it comes out. As long as you go in only with expectations of being grossed out and laughing till it hurts, you will not be disappointed!!

I hated (HATED!) being a waitress, but this movie is so hilarious and so ballsy that it almost makes me want to go back to the summer of 1999 to work one more shift at TGI Fridays. Waiting is the best, most accurate, most honest, and most riotously funny movie ever made about the service industry. Here's how I see it – the world is divided into two groups of people: those who have waited tables and those who haven't. Those who have never worked a day of their lives in a restaurant may find this movie amusing, but they'll think it's too absurd to be real, and they'll probably never give a second thought to this movie ever again.

But those of you who have felt the pain, degradation, and humiliation of waiting tables will p**s your pants laughing at how PERFECT this movie is. First-time writer/director Rob McKittrick has created a dead-on depiction of 24 hours in the restaurant biz. The movie opens at a late-night party with lots of underage drinking, smoking, and sex. Then we see the wait staff hung-over at work the next day. The restaurant they all work at is called "Shenanigans," but it looks an awful lot like the TGI Fridays I worked at.

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 b****y 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.

But at the end of the night, no matter what drama unfolds, no matter what dishes brake, and no matter how much money you make in tips (or don't make), everyone gets wasted and parties together, and you all know you're in it together. Waiting simply tells a story about a profession that most people never give a second thought to. But it tells that story flawlessly. Can't wait for the DVD.

Perhaps one of the most relatable movies I'e recently seen would have to be the 2005 cult indie comedy Waiting...with Ryan Reynolds. Marking the directorial debut of former restaurant worker turned filmmaker Rob McKittrick, the movie was not well received critically but did well enough at the box office to garner a cult following. Looking on it nowadays, this is one of the most relatable comedies I've ever seen speaking as a former restaurant worker.

The movie centers around the restaurant staff at ShenaniganZ who all go about their lives differently. There's the clueless boss Dan, the smooth talking lead guy Monty, the young guy Dean who feels like his life is passing by too soon, the flamboyant waiters, raunchy cooks, and eccentric bus boys with all their bizarre personalities. Anyone who has worked in this type of restaurant environment will be able to relate to many of the character's frustrations and insecurities, including the pressure of facing a job opportunity you don't want like assistant manager, putting up with college door room pranks in the kitchen, dealing with miserably petty customers who care less for the staff than their food, and general rage venting up from years of back breaking labour with little change in scenery. The movie is arguably at its funniest when it depicts these scenarios and it's all the more enjoyable as a result.

Now since this film was made when the post American Pie gross out shock genre was still going on in adult comedies, some of the film does often rely on juvenile humor that can range from disgusting to borderline homophobic to even questionable by today's standards. Considering that there is a subplot relating to Monty and Dan hitting on the soon to be 18 year old hostess Natasha, much of the content outside of the waiting and food prep scenarios might leave a sour taste in people's mouths depending on your sense of humor. Fortunately, the general cast consisting of Anna Faris, Justin Long, David Koechner, Robert Patrick Benedict, Luiz Guzman, Chi McBride and especially Alanna Ubach as the foul tempered waitress Naomi and Dane Cook as the crudest cook Floyd make up for any gag that goes nowhere they're so funny in the film. It's saying how relatable these characters when the quiet trainee Mitch gets his time to shine at such a crucial point in the movie's third act.

As this is a fairly low budget indie flick, the actual filmmaking is most reliant on standard editing to keep the flow of transitions smooth and reliant on the lunch and dinner rushes. In addition, the actual food shown throughout the movie looks appetizing enough to warrant future viewings solely for the cuisine alone, even during otherwise grossly contaminated punchlines. Of course, being a mid 2000s adult comedy, the soundtrack will instantly be dated yet fun to listen to, as nearly every number fits the scene well enough without feeling distracting. Perhaps some scenes can feel a bit too abrupt to let the song sink in on first watch, but you'll still get a bang out of the soundtrack regardless. Without feeling too try hardy in its content, this feature feels right at home as a time capsule at a time when you could get away with a lot more in adult comedies than you can nowadays.

Yeah, Waiting...is as crass and juvenile as any other raunchy comedy of its time, but its central restaurant setting lets the story, primary humor and characters feel far more relatable and endearing than they could've been from a lesser setting. Sometimes, the best way to make these kinds of movies work is if the filmmaker themselves actually worked in those environments, at least so the audience won't have to. I'd say it's worth at least one viewing after nearly 20 years later, much like when you try out any other restaurant you'e never been to.

This movie was everything I thought it would be and more. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cringe. Most of all, it'll make you think twice about eating at another restaurant or even working at one. Each character is throughly enjoyable as is each interaction between them. It's extremely well-written and realistic. As a waitress, I found it completely therapeutic, because even though I'd never do anything to a customer's food, seeing someone else do it to someone who is deserving of it (even in a movie), is enough to make me feel better. Ryan Reynolds is hysterical in this movie, as is Dane Cook and Luis Guzman. There are so many one-liners that you'll hear for a long time, especially in the kitchen of any restaurant. It ends slightly abruptly and you find yourself wanting more...but I guess that means the writer has done something right. Go see it, and enjoy. Just remember never to break the cardinal rule: "Never, ever, f*ck with someone who handles your food."

First off just to clear this off: I work at an Applebees. I know that often times customers aren't any better than the dirt underneath your finger nails; so when I heard about this movie I was, in short, excited. Finally a movie that exposes the rotten customer, but after seeing it I felt empty. Half of this movie was one big long dick joke. I spent 96-ish minuets watching a movie that focused more on how guys flash each other when what I wanted to see was 96-ish minuets of real-to-life customer and server interaction. While yes, the customer interactions in here were very real, the truth is there wasn't enough. The acting was decent, but the loud screaming chick annoyed me to no end. The story danced around a decision. I snickered at a few parts but I never found myself laughing out loud. The sexual humor felt very American Pie-esquire in some cases when I was expecting more of an Office Space/Dilbert style. If you serve, cook, host, or bartend at a restaurant you'll find some of this movie to be funny, but not enough to save it's soul.

To sum up Waiting... in a word: pointless. It looks like this was going to be another Clerks (1994) or Office Space (1999) but I just found myself waiting for something, anything or even remotely interesting to pop up. However I found myself extremely disappointed that nothing came. Once the movie ended, I was very disappointed that I had wasted 94 minutes on this pointless comedy.

Waiting centers on a colourful group of restaurant staff "Shenaniganz" who are disenfranchised with their own lives and could not care in the least bit for their customers, often amusing themselves with over the top sexual and disgusting antics.

I did not find this movie interesting, let alone funny. Any attempts at humour was far fetched and repulsive. The DVD cover looked appealing but that's about it.

In my opinion, this was a pointless movie.

1/10.

for anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant, this is it. for those who ever wanted to know what its like, watch this movie. granted, this is not the best movie ever made, but, you have to appreciate movies like this. first and foremost, everyone in the cast worked so well together that it actually seemed like they have worked in that place together for a long time. plus, the movie tries to be nothing but amusing, very few subplots and it doesn't dwell on them. its short, to the point, and i know i missed a ton of lines from laughing so hard. if you just want to be entertained for an hour and a half, i say check it out, its worth it.

This movie is exactly what you're looking for when you want to laugh and not have to get too invested into a storyline. The characters are fully fleshed out by the time the movie starts and there really is only one character's development to focus on. The vulgarity is surprisingly refreshing in this politically correct world. Ryan Reynolds plays his part well as does most of the cast. Sure there are some acting issues with some of the cast, but it's a decent production. The humor isn't deep but it is still funny. Would love to see a sequel that could live up to this, but the second movie wasn't very good.

After watching this movie about a "day in the life of a restaurant," I couldn't understand the high rating it gets on IMDb, but then I noticed that most of the reviewers are former wait-persons who identified with the over-the-top caricatures of the staff and customers of these restaurants.

For anyone else it is just a bunch of crude high-school level gross-out jokes.

I realize comedy is subjective, but I kept hoping that the energetic (and in some cases attractive) cast might actually be given some sort of comedic situational set-up for the jokes instead of a series of barely (pun intended) connected stoopid gags.

Can't complain too much as it delivered what was expected. Some funny moments and a quick paced storyline. Low budget and doesn't try too hard.

After watching this movie I will never complain or send food back for any reason! Set in Shenanigans and following the Wait & Kitchen staff as they go about their daily routine this movie is hilariously funny! Ryan Reynolds at his best as the lecherous waiter with no ambitions... He rules the roost at the restaurant!

There are some hilarious moments and one truly disgusting scene when someone sends their meal back! Try it out and see what you think...

I've worked in Restaurants myself, so I know all the things that go on in a normal day. This movie was really accurate... I laughed my ass off. The only thing that wasn't really accurate was the "game" they all played, but that is what made it even funnier! I can't believe they actually made a movie showing all the things that servers, cooks, dishwashers, hostess', and managers all do in a day's time. I actually went to see this movie twice in theaters and can't wait for the day that it comes out on DVD so I can own it. My best friends have a bet that I will call off of work in order to go buy this movie. I believe if you never worked in a restaurant before that you wouldn't get the full effect of this movie.

Very funny, lot's of small parts that are hilarious. Great cast. Memorable characters. Perfectly captures all aspects of waiting tables, and I say this from first hand experience.

(about 4 viewings, 5/25/2025)

In 'Waiting' Ryan Reynolds plays Monty, the seemingly head waiter at a Shenanigan's restaurant. Monty hates his job, like most, but he is like a god at Shenanigan's and gets away with almost anything. His bud and roommate Dean (Justin Long) is just a little more dissatisfied, but starts to see things in perspective once he is offered an assistant manager position.

This movie really is not that deep. In point of fact, it is hilarious. I loved this film, but I cannot recommend it to everyone. It is full of very crude humor (just the kind I like). If you combined 'Clerks' with 'Van Wilder' you would have 'Waiting'. Ryan Reynolds plays a very similar character to 'Van Wilder', only much more vulgar. Both Luis Guzmán (Raddimus) and Chi McBride (Bishop) are terrific in their respected roles.

I did notice that the cinematography in this seemed poor, making it look like a cheap film. But who cares? What this movie lacked in a budget, it more than makes up for in laughs. Unless you are easily offended, go see this movie.

This is a better Clerks 2 then Clerks 2 will be. My new favorite trilogy will be Clerks, Office Space, Waiting...

/* I've never worked at any place that serves food but after 10 retail jobs I can truly enjoy this movie. If you are wondering, I've never been fired. The bullshit customers, associates, managers need to be changed every 6 months or so. I'm 24 with only a 2 year degree in Computer Science and this movie was the last little push to get my ass in gear and apply to more colleges. */

I'm hoping that the man who created this film will make plenty more.

Why is it the greater level of management a manager has, the more incompetent that person will be. After 4 months at most jobs, i could be a manager since i was usually doing his job anyway (yea some places i was a boss's bitch). It's sad that they usually only get $1-$3 more an hour. What is really sad is that some of them seem happy with their level of existence.

I watched this film yesterday and honestly, I had fun with it. This is exactly the kind of comedy I enjoy, grounded, random, and built around workplace chaos rather than trying too hard with punchlines. The restaurant setting felt super relatable, and the characters, even in their exaggerated forms, were enjoyable to watch.

It's not trying to change the world, but it does a solid job keeping you entertained with its own flavour of humour. No over-the-top drama, just a bunch of people doing a shift and trying to stay sane. I get why it has a bit of a cult following now

I've realised that shocking, unapologetic humour is more my kind of thing, and this film totally leans into that. It's not trying to change the world, but it does a solid job keeping you entertained with its own flavour of madness.

Back when movies relied on horrible dialogue, childish antics and grossness to be funny. A lot of these early to mid 2000's comedy movies are going to age horribly over the next decade.

FINALLY! A movie about young adults working at a restaurant. I am 21 and I've only worked in restaurants. Since I was 15, I've been a busser, dishwasher, host, or a cook. And I have to say that this movie is 100%, dead-on accurate. Not only was it flawlessly written and the actors were natural and likable, but it also shows the people the other side. People don't realize all the B.S. servers and cooks have to go through every single day. So, the next time you chew out a server because your steak is medium instead of medium-rare, just remember one thing...We control your food, we can do whatever we want to it. So, chill out and remember it's only food and it's not the end of the world.

Funny, well-acted. Loved Dane Cook, Andy Milonakis, and Ryan Reynolds of course; Justin Long, Anna Faris, Alanna Ubach(HILARIOUS!), and John Daley who I haven't seen since Freaks and Geeks when he was a little guy. This movie is full of priceless one-liners and your typical coming-of-age moral without telling you it's a moral. 10/10!

Waiting…

reviewed by Sam Osborn of www.samseescinema.com

rating: 3 out of 4

Director: Robert McKittrick Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Justin Long, Chi McBride, Anna Faris, Dane Cook Screenplay: Robert McKittrick MPAA Classification: R (strong and crude sexual humor, pervasive language and some drug use)

2005 has, as of yet, been dubbed as the year for comedy's comeback. With two hugely popular comedies (Wedding Crashers and 40 Year Old Virgin) pooling tickets sales much past the $100 million mark at the box office, Lions Gate Productions' new entry, Waiting, couldn't have hoped for a better crowd for their film to leap into. Thankfully, Waiting continues 2005's tradition of quality comedy. It's certainly not as good as the other broad comedies lauded this year, but its low, low, low brow humor and consistently funny gross-out gags are sure to satisfy the same audiences that loved the Crashers and the Virgin.

The film takes place over the course of one day, following the lives of the waiters, cooks, and manager of the family restaurant chain Shenanigans (in a nice nod to Sooper Troopers). Heading up the cast is Justin Long playing Dean, whose day's taken a nosedive since his mother mentioned, once again, the success stories of his former high school classmates. Dean's story actually plays as Waiting's backbone story, focusing on his dismay at the prospect of becoming assistant manager at Shenanigans and wasting his life away waiting tables. But, really, most of Waiting's laughs lie in the crazy antics of the rest of the cast. First time director/writer Robert McKittrick, wrote the screenplay to work as a kind of oddball ensemble film, where we flit about the restaurant's many characters and their insane issues.

Connecting most of the characters, however, is the game they all love to play, quaintly titled "The Penis Showing Game." And, yes, the game plays exactly like it sounds. We learn the game and its many strategies through Monty's tour of Shenanigans as he trains, Mitch (John Daley), the new guy. It's especially popular among the cooks (fans of stand-up will notice Dane Cook playing Floyd, one of the cook's), who suggest to Mitch that, in his free time at the restaurant, he should play with himself and come up with new ways to win the aptly-titled game. Admittedly, this sort of humor is why Waiting never rises to the level of 40 Year Old Virgin. It's funny in its persistent repetition and comedic timing, but, at the same time, so low-brow that it loses taste and quickly becomes immature.

Director McKittrick succeeds in that he smartly captures the bizarre camaraderie between co-workers at temporary jobs. Having worked for nearly a year in a similarly depressing job as the characters in Waiting (I'm a lowly part-time cashier at Target), I, and surely many other teenagers, can relate to the oddball relationships of these waiters. The film seems to have been written from first-hand experience; as if McKittrick quit his job, went to film school, and wrote Waiting. These characters actually function more as caricatures, but the basis for every one of them comes from the real-life workplace.

The final scene is set at a party, and as the last line is read and the credit for Unit Production Manager is superimposed, every member of the audience sit comfortably in their seat, content to watching the characters party. That's when you know the film works: when we wouldn't mind sticking around for a couple hours more, hanging out with the people on screen. And although Waiting may pull some unnecessary jokes and cross the line into boring immaturity at times, it has enough bizarre truths and likable characters to make it worth of a Saturday evening at the multiplex.

-www.samseescinema.com

This was the title of the last 10 star review. I respectfully disagree with the 6.8 grade the movie gets. Unfortunately a chef from the restaurant i work in recommended the movie to me and i honestly can't believe that people think this is a good movie. I've watched plenty of crappy comedy movies and had good cheap laughs but this was just not funny. Furthermore i found hardly any resemblance with an actual restaurant.

Recap: The jokes weren't funny, there is no plot, except for a few minor moments the movie doesn't resemble a real restaurant and Ryan Reynolds wears an earring the whole movie. You're doing people a favor telling them not to watch this.

Anyone reading this review is sufficiently familiar with the internet to understand the precision with which internet search engines can target potential customers. And the movie industry is well-aware of the built in audiences for its products: to wit, the success of the "Harry Potter," "Twilight," and "Lord of the Rings" franchises demonstrate the viability of the formula: Movie+cultural familiarity=An audience. The only variable is; is the culturally familiar audience large enough to make a movie profitable? By this formula, "Waiting" is enough of a sure thing to answer another question: Why was this movie commercially successful? "Waiting" is simultaneously an accurate (if, due to being overly-condensed, unrealistic) depiction of the life of food-service employees and a "warning shot" to the customers of this industry (aka: Everyone else). And while it succeeds at both of these, it fails to be funny, which I believe is its ultimate goal. Instead it focuses on food-service workers as under-achieving, low-brow and resentful people who should be feared for their for their emotional dysfunction and their capacity/position to appropriately handle the anger and frustration that are part of every work situation.

"Waiting" lacks wit, which I define as intelligent, insightful humor. It seeks to be a Kevin Smith film ("Clerks") but lacks the intelligence and wisdom of Kevin Smith. "Waiting" is gross and vulgar, even containing physical archetypes of Jay and Silent Bob, but is absent the self-awareness of Smith's characters.

"Waiting" serves adequately to warn restaurant guests that they are interacting with people. But that is not funny.