In “Waitress” (May 2) Nathan Fillion plays the funny-Valentine love object of Keri Russell’s pie-baking genius, and does it so deftly you wonder why more directors of romantic comedy haven’t snapped him up. The last film by Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered in her Greenwich Village office last November, “Waitress” spices its humor with some decidedly tangy elements. For one thing the romance between Ms. Russell and Mr. Fillion is highly inappropriate, yet he carries it off with a light touch, quirky enough to feel just right.
A married ob-gyn who sleeps with an unhappy patient? Yikes. What’s funny about that? Mr. Fillion is, not least because he’s so good at looking blindsided by Jenna’s beauty and charm. When she suddenly leaps into his arms, he catches her with the stunned look of a man who can’t believe his luck. But that’s all he does.
No face-pulling or exaggerated double takes. Mr. Fillion is funny precisely because he’s a minimalist. His double takes are so tiny they’re a joke in themselves. His quiet just-folks presence on screen is a magnet; you watch to see what he’s up to.
Among the things Mr. Fillion lets us see before the movie ends is the subtle fault line — selfishness — in this sweet and caring man. It’s not a lot of selfishness, just a little. Kind of like sneaking a second piece of pie. – Karen Durbin
- Source: The New York Times
One actor, who deserves to be recognized, and needs to have his career jumpstarted to super stardom is Nathan Fillion (Serentiy, Slither). He continues to amaze and impress me with each passing part he has accepted. As Dr. Pottamer, Fillion is hilarious and utterly charming as a nervous, bumbling, yet intelligent OB-GYN who may be married, but has a definite school-boyish crush on Jenna. His interactions with her are genuine, funny, and most importantly, believable. It takes time for Jenna to begin trusting this new doctor, and Fillion perfectly aligns and nuances his portrayal so the legitimacy of their bond is made clear.
Enter new local OB/GYN Nathan Fillion (Serenity), who will solidify his adorable leading man status forever with this role. His scenes with Russell crackle with old-school electricity, and he breathes hope into her every pore. Even his moral ambiguities are forgiven with his endearing charm and sincerity. Fillion is the whimsical berries in her smooth, trembling custard, and I found myself clapping my hands in pleasure whenever they were on screen together.
For Russell and Nathan Fillion, these are star-making performances. The dialogue between the two is alive with that tricky thing called chemistry. They are so natural, so spot-on with the delicate dance of testing the waters before making the jump of putting one’s heart on the line, that the pair elevates the story necessity that they fall for each other to the level that it is their needs that drive the relationship. Their first romantic encounters remind one of inexperienced teenagers going at it because it feels good. Then it starts to feel right. They talk on the phone; she writes a letter to her unborn baby that she finally has a best friend. Russell and Fillion give us every reason to want these two to be together and slowly divulge all the reasons they cannot.
The frosty concoction only grows sweeter with the addition of Nathan Fillion as Jenna’s tongue-tied obstetrician. As the star of Joss Whedon’s Firefly, Fillion had his share of comic moments, but he’s never had the space to explore the depths of giddy awkwardness he does here. Clearly smitten with Jenna and restrained as much by shyness as medical ethics, he stammers his way through visits with his scowling patient. He’s the molasses-slow Yankee to Jenna’s sharp-tongued Southerner, a magnificent dope to her world-weary firebrand. It’s hard to think of another actor who could wring a belly laugh simply by saying, “I have no response to that.”
Fillion — best known for his role in the Joss Whedon futuristic western “Serenity” — is wonderful here. Fillion’s sideways line delivery resembles that of another terrific actor associated with Hartley, Martin Donovan (Shelly’s costar in “Trust”). Like Donovan, he has a way of placing an extra beat where you least expect it. When Jenna, trying to make friendly chitchat, asks him if he likes the neighborhood he lives in, he replies, “Yeah, it’s nice — if you like trees.” An em dash later, he blurts out, “And who doesn’t like trees?” Fillion, with his wide-set eyes and cautious smile, has the face of an anxious space alien. When he looks at Jenna, his patient, he’s clearly lost in the possibility of a swimmy romance that breaks all the rules.
The feminist overtones of the screenplay may not embrace the variation on the old saying that behind every good man is a woman, but Russell is given ample support from the great Nathan Fillion…Casting directors who see Waitress and don’t move Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion far up on their lists should be committed to a lifetime of finding game show contestants.
The cast, most obviously, should be given much of the acclaim for what works best in Waitress. Keri Russell has quite simply never been better than she is here; she and Nathan Fillion strike an effortlessly charming chemistry together. And to those who know Fillion only from Firefly / Serenity, well, be prepared to be impressed. This guy’s got leading man’s chops all the way, especially in the comedy department …
It’s lovely and delightful, full of heart from the cast and crew all-around. The three friends and waitresses, Jenna (Russell), Becky (Cheryl Hines), and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly), deliver some quirky yet magnificent performances, and I can’t forget to mention Nathan Fillion, who adds a particular amount of charm to the film. Another great Sundance movie that I gladly got to see on this fine day that has hardly any problems and is all around wonderful. I definitely urge you to go out and see it once it reaches theaters - as it was just signed bought by Fox Searchlight.
Andy Griffith–good God, you may have forgotten what a gimlet-eyed, stealthy delight the man is–shows up as Old Joe, the diner’s owner, negotiating a seemingly beyond-hokey arc from curmudgeon to Jenna’s spiritual adviser. And as we’re saying nothing about the fate of Jenna’s pregnancy and her affair with Dr. Pomatter, we’ll instead dote for a moment on the miracle that is Nathan Fillion…..As his work in Firefly, Slither, and the prematurely canceled Drive demonstrate, there is nobody who can spitball a one-liner or measure a double take with Fillion’s aplomb. Constantly aware of and bemused by his cartoon Harrison Ford-ness, he negotiates his large frame through scenes like a kid unsurely piloting a Game Boy avatar by remote. There’s this warm, protective smolder to his gaze that almost redeems the idea of patrician.
Casting from cult TV pays off, with Fillion (Firefly) solid as the perplexed protagonist and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) demonstrating smiley scatty charisma on a Cameron Diaz-Kate Winslet level in what ought to be a nothing role.
What makes it stand apart from most horror films we saw last year (and its predecessor), is that it features a couple of really good characters…….Rarely do I have anything good to say about performances in horror films, but with White Noise 2 I will gladly make an exception. Maybe it’s because the character has a tragic history, but Fillion really makes you feel for Abe. When he tries to use his gifts to save lives it doesn’t seem artificially heroic, but rather the actions of a man desperate to achieve closure after suffering a tragic loss. Sackhoff pops up regularly as Sherry, Abe’s former nurse, and again there is a depth to her performance that you don’t usually see in this sort of film.
The cast, particularly Fillion and Katee Sackhoff are both incredibly warm and likeable, adding humour and compassion to their roles, and the supporting cast are all great as well…
White Noise: The Light, is very well made with beautiful effects work, gorgeous locations, a great and likeable cast and a very interesting story. It also has bucket loads of action, more scares than the first film and some blood too. In all, it’s a great start to a year which promises some very interesting genre treats.
Surprisingly enjoyable sequel with an intriguing premise and strong, likeable performances…………Nathan Fillion is excellent in the lead, although it’s a shame that his character’s less-than-cheery disposition means that the film is mostly deprived of Fillion’s comic delivery. Katee Sackhoff is equally good as the female lead ………… Don’t be put off if you hated the original, because the sequel is a surprisingly enjoyable thriller
A near-death experience gives Abe Dale the ability to see a spooky light emanating from those about to die. The casting of Fillion and Sackhoff, from Firefly and Battlestar Galactica respectively, pays off by providing charming actors who can play this stuff seriously.
I did not really want to see this film. I don’t really like the horror genre much and the early hints were that this film wasn’t going to be very good. HOW WRONG Straight away you really care about Abe (Fillion) his performance alone is worth the admission , the emotion he conveys is so genuine it really brings tears to your eyes. He also has great chemistry with Katee Sackoff and their scenes together are a joy to watch. Add to this great convincing stunts, plenty of “oh so that’s why that happened” moments and good performances from the supporting players and you have a film worth seeing. I loved it and have already seen it for a second time and its already on my must have on DVD list too.
As a fan of Fillion already, I was surprisingly impressed at just how much more range he had to show – taking dislike only really at the notion that his character’s job is never actually explained. As if that weren’t enough, Fillion handles the romantic developments with Katee Sackhoff’s Sherry with a tender awkwardness that every Firefly/Serenity fan always wanted to see with that franchise’s Inara character. That’s not to say that Fillion doesn’t get his fair share of trademark wit, the rather boldly written script takes care of that quite nicely as well. In the long and short, whether you like or dislike the film, it’s impossible to doubt Fillion’s star turn here….One of the better horror sequels I’ve seen in recent years, White Noise: The Light is a solid horror/thriller and another terrific vehicle for Nathan Fillion.
…Star Nathan Fillion … made a very effective “everyman” hero. He has the same easy, middle-American charm of the young Kevin Costner. Here he creates tremendous sympathy for his character, which pays off in spades towards the end. God knows Hollywood needs some younger leading men right now and it could do a lot worse than Fillion.
This horror movie isn’t going to set box offices on fire, but it’s suitably scary, with some good fright scenes, and of course, there’s Nathan Fillion, who’s great in the lead role, and actually makes you care for his character. Definitely better than expected.