Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeComedy fans wanting good movie still Waiting...
October 10, 2005 —
There are three things you should know about Ryan Reynolds: he's good looking, he's Canadian, and he makes awful movies. And Waiting..., the directorial debut from Rob McKittrick, is no exception to fact number three.
The movie stars Reynolds and Justin Long as waiters at Shenanigans, a Bennigan's style restaurant. The movie follows the two, along with their crew of misfit co-workers, through one day of work. That day also happens to be the first day of work for the new guy (John Francis Daley), who must try to make sense of the chaotic atmosphere of the restaurant.
Right from the start, the audience is thrust into the R-rated comedy of the movie as Reynolds tells the new kid about a "game" that the workers like to play on each other. (Without going into too much detail, it involves exposing themselves to each other). This scene just drags on, and the joke isn't funny to begin with. Then it turns out to be a running gag that shows up far too often in this 90-minute movie.
And things don't really pick up much from here. While I wasn't expecting to find the angry humor of Hell's Kitchen, I had at least hoped for something better than Kitchen Confidential - and honestly, I think I laughed more during the one episode of Kitchen Confidential that I suffered through than I did during this whole movie.
The main reason for this is that the jokes are simply far too juvenile for even fans of Van Wilder to appreciate. And the characters are so one-dimensional and annoying that they all deserve more than just a good kick in the rear (as they so often do to one another throughout the film). This is a shame because of the talent that somehow found its way into this abomination. David Koechner and Chi McBride try their hardest to save this ship from sinking, but their performances are overshadowed by the sheer dumbness all around them.
Comedian Dane Cook may actually be the least funny person in the movie. He is given almost no lines, and we see him dropping food on the floor more often than making jokes. Wait, forget about Dane Cook - husky MTV brat Andy Milonakis has his fair share of unfunny moments.
So where does all of this leave Reynolds and Long? Well, their characters are stuck in dead-end jobs, and they face the prospect of becoming lifers at the restaurant. At least one of them wants out, and it's not Reynolds' Monty, who enjoys goofing off and going out with high school girls.
But Long's hopeful Dean wants out, and through him we are given a small dose of reality as he struggles with his emotions, his job, and his future. But it's not enough to fool anyone in the audience into thinking this movie set out to make a difference. It's not even enough to fool anyone in the audience into truly believing this was an hour and a half well spent. Maybe there is a reason there were only two of us in the theater watching this movie. There certainly weren't many people waiting to get in, but I know I couldn't wait to walk out.