Real Kato Blog: Movies: Waitress; Atonement

In our household, I'm the one that ends up putting "chick flicks" in our rental queue, simply because I try to see movies that have received good reviews or award nominations. Amy doesn't particularly care for these sorts of movies; she's more of a fan of horror or action movies.

So a couple of weeks ago, we got Waitress with Keri Russell. This movie garnered all kinds of good reviews. But frankly, I was disappointed. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it fit my definition of a chick flick perfectly: it had a series of one-dimensional male characters who mainly served as a foil for the leading woman's complex personality (and eventual spiritual awakening). And I found Keri Russell's acting to be uneven (though apparently fans of the movie seem to believe that this was an intentional attempt to make the character "quirky"). Now, there were some clever moments, and I give the late Adrienne Shelly all due respect for the clear amount of care she took in writing and directing this movie. Let's just say, this wasn't a movie made for me.

It was with some trepidation, then, that we popped Atonement into the DVD player. A period piece with Keira Knightley in a major role? That seemed to say "chick flick" all over it. And for the first slow-moving half hour or so, I was worried that it was going to be an empty and vapid romance tale. But then the movie took a dramatic turn, and I found intrigued. James McAvoy was a treat to watch, and the story unwound in a clever (if somewhat predictable) manner.

Ratings:
Waitress: 2.5 / 5.0
Atonement: 3.5 / 5.0

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