I will always always love Keri Russell

When I was 9 or 10 years old, I watched the Mickey Mouse Club after school everyday. My mom usually went upstairs to take a nap. Keri Russel was a Mouseketeer at the time and I had a crush on her even then. She has always ALWAYS been stunning to look at. I remember I felt like every Mouseketeer was my best friend. When they announced that Keri was going to be in Honey I Blew Up the Kids, I ran upstairs and woke my mom up to tell her the good news. She was, of course, just as thrilled as I was.

Now, I can't say I ever watched a single episode of Felicity, but I was very distraught when I heard she cut her hair. I loved that hair.

Good news: her hair's back in full force in the Waitress, which turned out to be a spectacular, quirky little movie. I suppose it would fit in the "chick flick" category, but in all fairness, it would be one of the few movies to actually deserve that label with due reverence, as it literally is a feminist story with strong, benevolent female characters and weak and/or cruel male characters. Whereas "chick flick" is usually just code for "shitty movie that couldn't figure out anything more interesting than boy meets girl drivel," Waitress is literally a "chick flick," by, about, and for, excuse me, women. It's basically FUBU.

I tried to get girls to go with me but they insisted on seeing it with their girl friends. I didn't really feel comfortable asking a guy to go see it with me - I watched Titanic in the theater with my best friend (a dude) and that's a story for another time, but I learned my lesson - so I went by myself. And honestly, what's the point of going to a movie with anyone else anyway. It's such a solipsistic experience. That always seemed funny to me. But I went, I saw, I loved. Guys, don't be thwarted. This movie's funny and adorable and I know that sounds cheesy and no dude thinks he wants to see something adorable, but trust me, you do. Adorable is actually good. And Keri Russell is so amazing, $10 to stare at her for an hour and a half is a bargain. Even when she's pregnant.

Which brings me to the breakdown, just in case you're not familiar with the premise. Kerri Russell who plays Jenna is a pie making genius at a pie restaurant somewhere in the South. Maybe they told me where, I don't remember. Her husband (Jeremy Sisto - Billy from Six Feet Under) is a louse, but a hilarious one. He's more like a petulant child, demanding to the point that he tells Jenna what to say, she says it, and this makes him happy. The movie's definitely more satirical than realistic, and Adrienne Shelly (writer, director, and the character of Dawn) superbly balances her story with the quirky satire that gives the movie so much humor and levity. Back to the breakdown: Jenna hates her husband and so she's hiding money all over the house in order to help her run away. She almost has enough when she finds out that she's pregnant. Now all is lost, seemingly, until she meets the town's new gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) who stumbles over his words in a nervous, neurotic manner. And who can blame him? He is talking to the Keri Russell. The fact that he could form a coherent sentence is an accomplishment. Well one thing leads to another, and by that, I mean, he treats Jenna real good, they commence a wild affair. The movie continues until the baby pops out, then it abruptly ends.

Kidding.

I can't say enough about this movie, although I do feel like I'm running out of things to say. At least interesting things. Oh! Matlock is in this movie and he rocks. Man, I love Matlock.

NEXT PARAGRAPH MIGHT BE SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER!

In regards to the feminist bent of the film. It was not subtle. Even considering the affair, which was shared by Jenna and the Doctor, the movie justified Jenna's affair because her husband was a prick, but in the end, made the Doctor out to be an ass-hole because he was cheating on his wife who probably* loved him. (*We don't know because we never really see them interact except for one brief moment.) The entire film, we're set up to hope that Jenna and the Doctor run away together. He has money, she has pies, they're in love. Come on!!! Run away, already! Have a happy life! Instead, Jenna comes out on top and the Doctor looks like a douche. I thought that was kind of unfair. Other than that, Waitress is fantastic and everyone should see it.

Actually, I didn't know this before today. Apparently, Adrienne Shelly was murdered last November. She was found hanging from a shower bar in her bathroom. It was first declared a suicide but a couple weeks later, a 19 year old boy confessed to the murder. Really weird and sad. It's so horrible to have really talented artists taken from us before they really get a chance to shine. Who knows what beauty Shelly could have provided this world had she not been taken from us. As for untalented artists, who really cares about them.

In her memory, her husband has set up the Adrienne Shelly Foundation to support female filmmakers. Please visit the site and if you have some spare cash, this is a really good cause. We can't have Sofia Coppola running a monopoly on popular female filmmakers.