Nitro Video Rating:
PURCHASE THE DVD: Waiting (2005)

While Waiting may be seen by some as derivative of working-class comedies like Clerks and, most notably, Office Space, those who have done time in the food service industry will find its veracity hilarious. While not too many people will have worked at a restaurant as dysfunctional as “Shenanigans,” (the cleverly renamed “Bennigans”-style location in which 98% of the movie takes place) most will no doubt remember many of this movie’s gags actually happening around them while waiting, or bussing tables, bartending or cooking on the line.

The thin story follows young Dean who is slowly making his way through community college courses while working as a waiter at a chain restaurant. His story really is the only continuous plot you’ll find here, as the movie is really just a long series of often very funny gags. Sometimes gross, puerile and outwardly offensive, awkward pacing and a low budget are deficits offset by the wonderful comedic stylings of Ryan Reynolds, who makes his underage-girl-craving jerk of a lead server likable, and Alanna Ubach who stands-out as vulgar and perpetually angry waitress “Naomi.”

A minor gripe with the two-disc DVD set is that among the seemingly endless extras, there’s not to be found a full-size version of the Bus Boys’ rap video! A three-minute clip that’s shockingly crass and utterly riotous accompanies the ending credits, giving actresses (pictured left to right) Jordan Ladd, Kaitlin Doubleday, Emanuelle Chriqui, Alanna Ubach and Vanessa Lengies the chance to be humorous and downright sexy as “rapper ho’s.” Recommended!

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
• Studio: Live / Artisan
• DVD Release Date: February 7, 2006
• Run Time: 92 minutes