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	Movie Review - Waiting... (2005)     (What this rating means)       Director: Rob McKittrick Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris, Justin Long, David Koechner, Luis Guzmán, and Dane Cook Rated: R (for strong crude and sexual humor, pervasive language and some drug use) Length: 93 minutes Genre: Comedy Tagline: No one's gonna make it big here. Studio: Lions Gate Films Website: Waiting... Release: October 7, 2005 PLOT Young employees at Shenanigan's restaurant battle against boredom and rude customers with juvenile antics and disgusting ... wait for it ... shenanigans that might just make you a little nervous the next time you go out to eat. A disturbing satire of what might happen behind-the-scenes at restaurants ensues. JOHNNY'S TAKE Have you ever snapped your fingers at a member of the wait staff because he or she didn't bring you a refill fast enough? Ever rudely complained that your steak wasn't 100% perfect and accused your waiter of stupidity because of this? If so, then Waiting... will put a lump in your throat at the thought of what you've probably ingested over the years (thanks to backstage kitchen hijinks) at public restaurants and make you think twice before being rude again. The smile plastered on your waitress' face may not be as sincere as you think, and the gravy on your mashed potatoes may contain some ingredients that you absolutely do not want to know about. Working as both over-the-top satire and a disturbing public service announcement, Waiting... is a sporadically hilarious, overly disgusting film that explores the trials and tribulations of a group of restaurant employees all while concentrating a little too heavily on the raunch. You see, a "gross-out comedy" is referred to as such for a specific reason - it is designed to gross out the viewer. Gross him out of what? That I'm not so sure about. However, what I am sure about is that I prefer to laugh consistently through a comedy rather than worry about the next scene that's going to force me to turn away from the screen in disgust. Those viewers who find themselves unable to control their laughter at tasteless games where employees try to force other employees to look at their genitals might consider this to be just their style. However, I've decided that one thing I really don't need nor want to see is male genitalia. Games like this may very well go on, but that doesn't make me any more interested in watching 'em. It just makes me thankful that I never worked at a restaurant. The fact that this game continues throughout the entire movie makes the anticipation of what you fear you might see almost as bad as the sight itself once it finally does arrive. "Well, I really didn't need to see that," were the only words that came to me. And if you're easily offended by vulgar, sex-driven humor then you might find yourself thinking the same thing about Waiting... Surprisingly enough, this is not even the nastiest example. Giving The 40-Year Old Virgin a very strong run for its money as the raunchiest film of the year (and probably beating it), Waiting... definitely reminded me of the importance of being nice to your waiter/waitress though. I shudder to think some of that stuff actually might go on in a restaurant's kitchen - very disturbing! But while there were laughs to be had, there were just too many uncomfortable moments for me to thoroughly enjoy the movie or give it a recommendation. But I do recommend being polite to those who serve you. ODDS & ENDS Dane Cook was on Jay Leno recently and confessed that he used to work as a waiter and said bad things DO happen to the food of bad customers. He especially hated people who would snap their fingers because you weren't getting their refills fast enough. He relayed one story which involved him stirring a woman's drink with a particular body part, and it wasn't his finger. Moral of the story? Be nice to the wait staff. Cook also revealed that the movie is based on experiences at an actual restaurant. That restaurant starts with a "B" and ends in "ennigans." This is pretty obvious considering the name of the restaurant in the movie is Shenanigan's. John Francis Daley plays the new hire at the restaurant who gets introduced to the ugly side of his employment. You may remember Daley as Sam on Freaks and Geeks. Anna Faris was in May with Angela Bettis who was in Coastlines with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon. MAMA'S APPROVAL I don't think there is anyway possible this could ever be edited into a version that would meet mama's approval. Profanity is very extreme ("f" bombs were exploding all over the place), and raunchy, tasteless humor is the norm. If you don't want to spend your money to be offended then you'll want to pass on this one. TRAILER COMPARISON No real surprises. THE GIST Waiting... may ring true for those who have worked in the restaurant business, but it's only for those who love gross-out comedy and are not offended by it in the least. For me, the humor did not outweigh the vulgarity.	RETURN TO HOME PAGE Traitor Death Race Star Wars: Clone Wars The Dark Knight Journey to the Center of the Earth Hancock Get Smart The Incredible Hulk The Strangers Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Weekend Results: 1. Tropic Thunder($11,505,000) 2. Babylon A.D.($9,565,000) 3. The Dark Knight($8,615,000) 4. The House Bunny($8,300,000) 5. Traitor($7,800,000)

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