As a favorite waitress at Joe's Diner, Jenna is also a "pie genius," naming her tantalizing confections after the tumultuous events and emotions of her daily life. She's hoping that one of her pastries, like her "Kick In The Pants" Pie, might even change her life--if she can just win that $25,000 pie contest. But when Jenna discovers that she's pregnant, she immediately bakes an "I Don't Want Earl's Baby" Pie--a quiche of egg and cheese with a smoked ham center. After all, her husband Earl is a jealous jerk that is essentially a child himself, and the last thing they need to do is start a family together. ut the pregnancy eventually changes the course of events in her life, giving her an unexpected and newfound confidence via letters to her unborn baby. - skip ad - Genres: Comedy Running Time: 1 hr. 44 min. Release Date: May 2nd, 2007 (limited) MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, language and thematic elements. Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Cast And Credits Starring: Keri Russell, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Nathan Fillion, Andy Griffith Directed by: Adrienne Shelly Produced by: Danielle Renfrew, Jeff Rose (II), Todd King

Waitress" is a frustrating film.

It's not because it doesn't deliver -- it's a terrific Southern comedy that goes down as smoothly as a mint julep on a sultry afternoon.

Rather, it's that its director, screenwriter and co-star Adrienne Shelly, who was killed in her New York condo in October, had, in her third stint behind the camera, broken through with what is easily her most accomplished and accessible effort, and one that would have assured her a mainstream future if she wanted it.

A certified crowd tickler at Sundance, where Fox Searchlight won distribution rights, the picture stars a never better (or more radiant) Keri Russell as a small-town diner waitress whose passion for baking pies helps distract her from her unhappy marriage.

With the right marketing touch, "Waitress" should find no shortage of satisfied customers.

Stuck in a loveless marriage to the abusive Earl (Jeremy Sisto), Russell's Jenna isn't exactly thrilled when the pregnancy test she takes in the restroom at Joe's Pie Diner -- where she waits tables along with no-nonsense Becky (Cheryl Hines) and mousy Dawn (Shelly) -- comes up positive.

Although she has yet to figure out a viable way to say, "Goodbye, Earl," Jenna finds therapy in her highly original pie creations, with such names as I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie and Pregnant Miserable Self-Pitying Loser Pie.

To further complicate matters, Jenna finds herself having a passionate affair with her new OB/GYN, the sympathetic but neurotic Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), which at least inspires her to create the Earl Murders Me Because I'm Having an Affair Pie (blackberries and blueberries smashed into a chocolate crust).

If "Waitress" was one of Jenna's pies, it would be a sky-high lemon meringue -- light, airy, not too sweet, with a tart, satisfying filling.

Shelly, who probably was best known as an actress for her performances in some of Hal Hartley's early films, has a real affection for her characters and their foibles, and judging from the work of her ensemble cast, it clearly was infectious.

Russell really shines here, displaying an affinity for the type of quirky comedy she has seldom had the opportunity to play onscreen.

While Hines, Shelly, Pomatter and Sisto also are fine, it's a particular hoot to see Andy Griffith coaxed back into pictures as Old Joe, the crusty but tender diner owner who urges Jenna to start fresh.

Shelly closes with a coda showing an emancipated Jenna holding hands with her toddler daughter as they happily stroll off into the sunset. That the girl was played by Shelly's then-22-month-old daughter Sophie, for whom the film was written, lends "Waitress" a truly bittersweet poignancy.