Whether it’s a paper company or a parks department or a fashion magazine, workplaces are rife for good comedy, and one of this writer’s favorite on-the-job flicks is officially coming of age this year. Starring a pre-fame Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long, among others, the 2005 restaurant-staff comedy “Waiting” turns the big 2-1 this year, a fitting anniversary given how raunchy and rambunctious the cult-favorite movie is.
Riotously funny and relatable in its depiction of the messy dynamics between front-of-house staff and kitchen workers, the low-budget indie comedy has culled a devoted clientele of fans over the decades thanks to its strong cast, sharp timing and slacker charm.
And you can celebrate 21 years of “Waiting” by streaming the mid-aughts comedy now on Prime Video for free. Here’s why you should add it to your watchlist.
What is 'Waiting' about?
Based on writer-director Rob McKittrick’s own time working as a waiter, “Waiting” follows the young and underpaid waitstaff and kitchen crew at the fictional chain restaurant Shenaniganz, the kind of casual franchise spot with its own signature happy birthday song and plenty of knickknacks and tchotchkes lining the dining-room walls.
Taking place over a single chaotic day, the funny flick acquaints us with a slew of colorful characters, including Justin Long’s Dean (who is distraught that a former schoolmate has recently secured a plush engineering job while he’s been stuck at the less-than-glamorous serving gig for four years).
There's also Ryan Reynolds’ Shenaniganz long-timer Monty (who’s busy flirting with the underage hostess Natasha) and staff newcomer Mitch (John Francis Daley), who undergoes a horrific, nudity-filled first day of training.
Why I recommend you stream 'Waiting'
A critical darling it was certainly not. “Waiting” has a pretty abysmal 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics panning the gross-out comedy for being “more gross than comic.”
And though the movie’s signature crude humor and brazen slapstick are certainly a relic of mid-2000s bro-comedy humor, the underrated movie does serve up some service-industry realness in between all of those low-brow laughs, accurately capturing the rude customers, shift chaos and staff dynamics that restaurant workers know all too well.
Like a chain-restaurant dinner, watching “Waiting” may not be the best meal of your life, but as long as you’re surrounded by lovably colorful characters, you’ll certainly have a good time.
Stream “Waiting” on Prime Video now
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Whether it’s a paper company or a parks department or a fashion magazine, workplaces are rife for good comedy and one of this writers’ favorite on-the-job flicks is officially coming of age this year. Starring a pre-fame Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long, among others, the 2005 restaurant-staff comedy “Waiting” turns the big 2-1 this year, a fitting anniversary given how raunchy and rambunctious the cult-favorite movie is.
