User Reviews

Troma Entertainment is not known for quality films, but this one is really bad. This movie has it all: bad acting, bad directing, bad writing, bad set design, bad costumes and even a bad soundtrack. The best part of the movie is watching for the sight gags behind the main scene, like the heart attack victim being revived by jumper cables. Although the DVD seems to be marketed as soft porn (the actresses featured in lingerie on the cover) that isn't at all what this film is about. The intro says its about women's lib--maybe barely. There are lots of really bad jokes, including vaudeville style jokes shoe-horned into the script despite the fact that they do nothing to advance the plot (lots of farces do this, but this wasn't supposed to be farce--at least I don't think it was!).

But the most remarkable thing about this movie is that it seems to have killed the careers of almost every actor who appeared in it! There are 214 credited parts, and of those 157 actors never appeared in another film. None of the three female leads ever did another movie or TV show.

I think it is quite possible that this movie ranks as the all-time leader in "last movie they ever did" category.

There are a couple of actors who actually survived the film. In the intro to the DVD they mention Chris Noth (Big on "Sex in the City"; "Law and Order") and Larry "Bud" Melman. Noth has no lines and is barely recognizable in the 10 seconds of screen time; Melman has two lines. Anthony John Denison has a major part (Moe), and amazingly went on to have a very successful career. He is definitely the exception; everyone else in the movie must have changed careers.

"Waitress" is a bad movie when judged by the Hollywood standard. The technical aspects fall short of generally accepted norms, the editing sometimes makes you wonder if they resorted to using what they had instead of the best takes, the acting wavers between inspired and insipid, and the writing cannot stay on track long enough to get any single aspect of the story to the front, to allow a single thread to connect the feature.

All of the above combine to make a lurching, bumbling, lost in the dark movie that just also happens to be fun to watch. It could have been better-- but a better film would not have been as good.

Waitress is fun. Not "PC" in any form, not a glossy product, just fun in the context of the time it was made. A bad movie that is fun to watch-- another example of the contradiction of the American Dream.

"Waitress!" is about as bad as a comedy can get. It can barely be called a movie; it's more like a collage of randomly connected images and scenes that don't build from each other or move any sort of plot forward. And the editing is so rapid it may give you a headache. I'd give this dreadful film 0.5 out of 4 stars.

You pretty know what to expect in a Troma Team production. I laughed twice during the whole affair, where fifteen minutes in it's nearing, it got utterly ridiculous, for 10 minutes, I mouthed the words, "This fu...d". Then a sane moment came back, in which I was a highly relieved. If you're not aware, Troma Team, makes these insanely stupid rubbishy movies, you so long for a Chuck Norris movie alone. But there is a kind of smartness, amongst all the inanity, which if you're a budding actor, who've hit bad times, you may want to shun away from seeing thus. The lead character (Drake) who I'm sure, would be in other TT sh.t is this budding actress, and of course she's a waitress, longing for that break, like many actors and actress's today. She's probably the worst auditionee you've ever seen, as she's really never been given a chance. The movie resembles similar scenarios in films, about how woman are reduced to unclothing themselves, and virtually used as an admiring piece of T and A, and Drake is hot, that's for sure, like a few who work in the back of her kitchen. Another waitress just happens to be a writer. So we kind of have like two stories, but if making reservations to eat at your next restaurant, reserve yourself the right, not to to watch this film, cause what happens in the kitchen, is pretty disgusting, where the film makers must be pretty disgusting themselves. A tried rubbishy comedy, full of unfunny double meanings and some 'What' the f..k moments?'' For the very undemanding. And whoever heard of a waiter serving a Rolls chicken, literally. 2.5/10

This movie starts out with an aspiring actress by the name of "Andrea Morgan" (Carol Drake) being rejected for a part in a Broadway play and then resuming her normal job as a waitress. The next scenario involves a failed writer named "Jennifer Martin" (Carol Bevar) who is hired by "Mature Teen Magazine" to write an article on how to pick up men. In the process she also works as a waitress at the same place as Andrea. The third scenario has a spoiled rich woman named "Lindsey Cavendish" (Renata Hickey) being thrown out of her father's house and forced to work at the exact same restaurant as both Andrea and Jennifer. Unfortunately for all three of them, this particular restaurant is a terrible place to work and an even worse place to eat. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film is quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting was bad, the script was awful and the comedy was entirely non-existent. It was sheer torture to watch. But don't take my word for it-all it takes is about the first 15 minutes to see for yourself. And it goes downhill from there. Again, it's really, really bad.

I bought Waitress! because I was interested to see Lloyd Kaumfan and the Troma Team's roots before the making of The Toxic Avenger, SGT Kabukiman NYPD, Tromeo and Juliet, and so on. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movie is not as bad as everyone says it is. Actually, this movie is quite funny. It basically has the same jokes as The Toxic Avenger...just no gore. The movie seems plot less until we start to get into it a little more, and a plot actually evolves as we follow a wanna be actress and a wanna be news reporter. They both find love, and make it yet another love story, only a wild wacky one. The jokes in this film are funny for the most part, especially the "6 feet...and 11 inches" joke which is clearly the funniest part of the film. If you liked The Toxic Avenger, and other stupid comedies, see Waitress! You may or may not be disappointed.

This movie qualifies as a "guilty" pleasure...a loopy plot surrounding an aspiring actress and her restauranteur-wannabe boyfriend (and actually featuring some quality 'soft-core' sex scenes that actually enhance the plot/humor), intercut with some of the best/worst sight gags and one-liners ever filmed. You actually wait for the the next joke, to see if it will fall into one or the other categories!

A major complain is that the movie never really decides WHAT to be--soft-core porn, slapstick comedy or gag-fest. That indecisiveness really throws off the movie's plot, wherever it is.

You will never, ever order wine the same after seeing this movie.

WAITRESS! Is what the ancients used to call a "sex comedy", usually consisting of nudity and "ribald" humor. In this case, it makes one wonder who in the name of sanity would ever want to produce such a thing?

Starring no one in particular, and filled with idiot sight gags and dialogue, WAITRESS! Is sort of a grounded version of AIRPLANE!, minus any hilarity or fun. So, it comes as no surprise that Troma had a hand -and probably a foot- in this.

The lead-lined "jokes" come fast, leaving big marks on our brains, before thudding through the floor. Yes, the major reason for a "film" such as this to exist is to show scantily-clad and / or naked females. Sadly, the sheer misery caused by this cinematic kidney stone negates any / all nakedness!

Perhaps, it helps to realize that when it was made, there was no internet, and hogwash like this was considered "risque' or "naughty". Truthfully, it doesn't really matter, since whale smegma is still cheeeze, regardless of its vintage...

If you've seen Troma's The Toxic Avenger, then you can get ready for Waitress. While it's not the horror movie Toxic was, its humor is matched 100 percent by Toxic.

Corny like a Sunday, Waitress is still one of my favorite films. It's VERY funny, most people are scared to say that this film is good, because they're afraid people will think they are dumb, well I have an above average IQ, a building full of friends and a sweet life, and I say Waitress is good.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Waitress gets a 9!

This film is so full of sight gags and comedy madness, that it will take multiple viewings to catch them all. The film brilliantly captures the world of New York City restaurants, and the many people working as wait staff workers, trying to break into show business. This film has gratuitous breasts, and farting, enough to cause major laughs. As far as a time capsule, this film has many shots showing "old New York City" which is fun to see. Look for a very young Chris Noth in a tiny bit part. Kaufmann has done it again, delivered a masterpiece on a small budget thus proving the point that anyone can make their own damn movie. ****

One of those rare movies pouncing on dated aspects of what made other movies of the era stand the test of time, making it wholly surreal to witness and consider the filmmakers thought processes, its episodic format and gives the impression of layers being peeled as the film takes the viewer to its center, vs a beginning to an end. Jokes land not for their intended purpose but for what they have become over time. Truly a rare time capsule into thin and misguided filmmaking that itself takes on new life as irony becomes more ever present in this modern age. Highly recommend to anyone who can understand what I mean in this review. 10/10, one of my all time favourite movies.

My review was written in September 1982 after a Times Square screening.

"Waitress" is a low-budget comedy picture from the team responsible for the successful "Squeeze Play". Only intermittently funny, the new film is serviceable in general situations.

Episodic in the extreme, pic limns the comic experiences of three waitresses at a New York City restaurant. Andrea (Carol Drake) is a feisty would-be Broadway actress working the restaurant gig until her big break. Jennifer (Carol Bevar) is a beautiful blonde fronting as a server while working on "how to meet men" article for a teen magazine, and Lindsey (Renata Majer) is a young girl who was kicked out of Troma Prep School and forced by her dad to work in his restaurant.

Getting off to a hectic start, "Waitress" becomes wearisome with its reliance on food gags, pratfalls , old puns and vulgar schtick. Pic bogs down in the middle for plot material and a romantic interlude involving cafe manager Jerry (Jim Harris), who is opposed to Andrea's acting career obsession, but reverts to sheer anarchy when Lindsey is put in charge of the eatery and succeeds in wrecking it. A very old-fashioned ending has all the leads' dreams come true.

Within a format which is closer to the sketch humor of drive-in films of yore, such as "If You Don't Stop It, You'll Go Blind" than sustained "Porky's" comedy, "Waitress" suffers from non-stop overacting. Although the leads are personable and in some cases attractive this is probably one credit they would like to forget. With more than 200 actors credited in the cast, most in bits, best performance is by Anthony Sarrero, genuinely amusing in a pleasantly overdone attempted cowboy style seduction of Jennifer.

Other actors simply try too hard here, with use of Three Stooges-style sound effects tending to overshadow any shadings. Tech credits are variable but adequate.