Instead, Waiting features cramped apartments packed full of average-looking girls chain-smoking in an effort to up their cool quotient. Believe it or not, this shabby-un-chic approach is part of the film’s charm. The littered beer bottles and sloppy quarters games don’t necessarily look appealing, but they do look familiar. And there’s always some comfort to be found in the familiar.
As for the negative reviews from atop mighty New York Times et al mountain, all I can assume is that none of those critics ever worked crappy jobs serving mediocre food for lousy tips. Granted, the editing in this film gives the clear impression that an amateur is at the helm and the crudest elements (and believe me, they are very crude) feel tired and obvious. But goshdarnit, this rough little homage to food service is funny, and I hope I’m never so sophisticated that I can’t recognize funny when it spits in my mashed potatoes.
So if you are predisposed to gross, sophomoric humor - or if you are a man - you’ll probably find something to laugh at in Waiting. But be warned, many people will find it too insulting and abrasive to endure for long—a lot like working in a chain restaurant.