Common Sense Media Review
An undercooked, overdone raunchy comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Waiting
What's the Story?
WAITING is about Dean (Justin Long) and his buddies at a TGI Fridays-type theme restaurant. While Dean, a high school honors student turned future restaurant assistant manager, struggles with what to do next with his life, his friend Monty ( Ryan Reynolds) is busy cruising underage girls, insulting a girl he used to date, and showing the ropes to the new kid (John Francis Daley). Among the other stock characters are the hilariously burnt out Amy, the lecherous older cook Raddimus, the contemptible customers, the pothead suburban pseudo-gangsters Nick and T-Dog, the ineffectual boss --and set pieces. There's the prissy customer who keeps sending her food back until, stepped on and otherwise defiled by the kitchen staff, the food finally returns to her in a way she can stomach. There's the tempting deflowering of an underaged hostess. There's the attempt by the boss to become friends with his employees.
Is It Any Good?
Waiting tries to be everything, but unfortunately, it doesn't do anything particularly well. It attempts to be a coming-of-age movie, teenage sex farce, romantic comedy, and worker angst flick -- and sticks it all together with the, er, glue of "pervert" jokes and politically incorrect humor.
If there's any reason to watch this movie -- and that's a big if -- it's for Justin Long's sympathetic rendering of a guy in the throes of his quarter-life crisis. When his former honors class peer comes in to rub Dean's nose in his success, you want to punch him just as much as Dean does. And when Dean finally makes his decision about his future, you cheer him on.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they would do in Dean's situation. Would you stay with your friends or start a new job? Also, what attracts teens to these kinds of gross-out sex comedies? Is the raunchy humor necessary?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 7, 2005
- On DVD or streaming : February 7, 2006
- Cast : Anna Faris , Justin Long , Luis Guzman , Ryan Reynolds
- Director : Rob McKittrick
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Live Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : explicit sexual discussion and adult situations
- Last updated : March 14, 2020
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