Hey, Pie Lady! Listen to me. START FRESH!So are Andy Griffiths funny and wise words to the beleagured waitress Jenna, played endearingly by Keri Russell in this fabulous and colorful film. This one is destined to be a closet classic, those fortunate enough to have heard of it being all the better for it.
Jenna makes pies. Every emotion, every situation can be expressed in a pie. There's the "I hate my husband pie" and a dozen others shown lovingly made in the story. There's a reason she hates him: Earl, played by the eminently convincing Jeremy Sisto, is one of those moron husbands you love to hate.
Contrast him with the charming and easily lovable Dr Pometter (Nathan Fillian), and you have the chemistry for a great storyline, complete with sarcastic commentary by Joe (Andy Griffiths) who owns the Pie Diner, and salted with the other waitresses' flings and love pursuits.
The real-life untimely death of actress and director Adrienne Shelly (the waitress on the right) brings an interesting and nostalgic element to the film. I wish she could have made more films like this one. Its unusual blend of humor and deep emotion is rare.
This is a harsh and unforgiving working-class world where we can cheer for the underdog and enjoy a sexual tryst with Jenna and then recognize that eventually she must move beyond it and find her true self. That kind of journey is worth any film's and any viewer's time.
...And if you love pie, by the end you'll be salivating.