Waffle Street (2015) Reviews

• Family movie about life, relationships, and a blue collar lesson in big finance for X-Wall Street manager.

  mcalpinjm2016-03-21

  Waffle Street is a timely piece about the lessons we all should learn about hard work and rewards. Both of the main characters Jimmy (James Lafferty) and Edward (Danny Glover) have felt the pain of dishonesty and have each taken different roads to restoring faith in themselves while seeing the pressures society places on us all. Danny Glover (Edward) delivers an excellent performance as the friend and mentor to the silver spooned Jimmy who is struggling with understanding what kind of man he wants to be. Great family movie and relevant to children and adults alike. The true story makes it an even better, again proving life is always more interesting than fiction. I give it a thumbs up for the whole family.

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• Definitely a likable "Slice of Life"

  theredhairedcrow2016-03-15

  As a non-Anglo professional person, having degrees which I worked hard to obtain, throughout I also worked in restaurant service and later as a chef to support those endeavors, so the premise of the film appealed to me for several reasons. Mostly because I work in what is considered to be a cerebral, academic field now where there are times you never have any personal connection with or support for or from colleagues, as compared to the team atmosphere in good kitchens. But in kitchens/restaurants I've seen them: the "wealthy" or privileged who lost their jobs having to "slum it" in places and with people they might have been polite to when being served but never considered otherwise. They never thought of them at all beyond what they needed at the moment, as people with other goals, professions or may have been artists, writers, very creative people that needed to support themselves in the gastronomy or hospitality business. It's a fictionalized account of a memoir, a comedy/drama designed to present the main character as sympathetic, and in that I felt they succeeded.Though Jimmy's attitude was, of course, about finding a job to support his now growing family he never looked down or slighted any of the other workers. Never the dreaded and ugly superiority complex for menial tasks. Some reviewers have pointed out, however, he got it easier because of his background to be accepted and trusted in such a position. I don't disagree at all, but some films don't need overthinking. I didn't feel there was any agenda here to make him some kind of hero, though there is the reality in the US of the WMC having things easier because everything was built to support and facilitate and protect them. Sometimes though? Just watch the movie. The labels of redemption, etc.? Redemption from what? The character's statement of his background, his schooling and yes, privilege might be vexing to some but it was just the truth. If you don't like what was presented and how, help change America to where there is equality away from the century spanning oppression and privilege. Help change the presentation in film too, otherwise: face the facts. He couldn't have changed who were his parents any more than anyone else, but it is what he does with the privilege that's important. He still respected and treated others well, listened to them, tried to help. Whether it succeeded later was immaterial. We were just presented a "slice of life." Jimmy lost a big job from his own culpability then went to work in a comparatively "lesser" job from the perspective of his parents and former colleagues, but found he liked it better as it was entirely more honest. One wishes more WMC might have such an awakening and the country and world would be a better place. Danny Glover was a nice but typical mentor, but it was a far better role than many he's recently played in low budget/rating action films. Otherwise, the acting was okay in general, and nothing special about the filming or location but I liked it. Yes, there were very stereotypical portrayals of minority people that lessened the whole. That crap really isn't necessary to be comical, and it just unnecessarily brought the film down a couple of levels to maybe get a laugh or two, but I liked the main characters. They were believable. The story wasn't anything new but it was an hour and a half of likability. Also was nice to see "Beetroot McKinley" again.

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• Waffle Street is Shallow Pavement

  timcote72016-09-06

  Just finished watching this movie. I wanted to like it. I worked in the restaurant business for 20 years and I was excited by the premise. The first 15 minutes or so really had me going. It then promptly left me "in the weeds." The script was missing the biting loss of status for its main character. There lacked an intensity of a man putting it all on the line, as well as what the true lifestyle of restaurant employees is really like. That would make a really interesting movie. This film's intentions are good, but it is a thin veneer of morality and platitudes about making an honest living. The weak plot twist involving the restaurant owner and our hero was forgettable. James Lafferty simply cannot act. This might not be obvious for those who have never been in the service industry, but many of Jim's responses to customers were filled with repressed hostility. People who live on earned tips don't make a living that way. Someone with business acumen would have a better attitude or pick a different career. Danny Glover had nothing of substance to work with. There were some nice moments, but honestly, this was no honest look at life.

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• A semi serious career changemovie

  phd_travel2017-01-13

  There is something morbidly fascinating about watching a former finance executive struggle with working in a fast food franchise. A trader in mortgage backed securities gets sacked for some scapegoat reason and decides to do something down to earth. This isn't a comedy - it's kind a of a life change drama told in a semi serious tone and it gets quite depressing when they sell their home. One surprising thing is his wife is supportive beyond belief putting up with his whims and fancies and changing their life situation so much. James Lafferty of One Tree Hill and Julie Gonzalo of Veronica Mars are quite appealing leads. Danny Glover plays an ex con cook. Interesting but a little sad.

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• A bankrupt story about redemption

  eladale-902112016-03-15

  The story is about greed, loss, and redemption. And that should strike a positive chord in many of us. But this film took a wrong turn from the beginning, as the greedy simply chewed up and spit out one of their own, James Adams, and apparently went on it's merry way. Seeing their fall guy lose a few of his expensive assets didn't garner sympathy from me. It should have brought about cheers from working class folks.....the ones who lost the most in the mortgage schemes exemplified in the opening scenes of the movie. Instead, when he lands in the middle of a Waffle House rip-off on Main Street, America, they welcome the fallen Adams into their midsts. And the working men and women he meets fit a neat paint-by-numbers stereotype of "We are po', but we are happy". It seems the only person suffering more than a squabble with their wife is our protagonist. He is suffering through a scheme to finance another big deal that could save his way of life. How awful for him. I took this movie as an excuse for greed. I saw it as a marginalization of working America. Adams' fall was a tiny bit of comeuppance for a small player in a system that stole a massive amount of wealth from the world and got away with it. I am happy for Mr. Adams' real life turnaround and redemption. We are all entitled to redemption. But I am angered by the financial fiasco that was...and still is. I was annoyed at the treatment of working class folks. The film did manage to pull together a relatively cohesive story with nothing more than an endless string of clichés. That takes some skill. And that is why I gave this movie more than a 1. We are introduced to the main protagonist, James Adams, as a driven, focused man. Every attempt is made to portray him as afflicted with some Aspergers-like, Autistic Spectrum disorder. He is focused. He is blank. He responds inappropriately to social cues. And in that, he is well suited to his original corporate role of legally conning people into bad mortgage investments. These affectations may have been offered up as a reason or excuse for what he did in the financial world, but they do little to bring him to life or to win our hearts as the story goes forward. The character of Becky Adams, his wife, is portrayed as a spoiled, narcissistic and selfish woman who only seems to offer up real emotions when threatened with losing something she wants. She is also a very unsympathetic character. It is very difficult to feel their loss. More to the point, I found myself resenting them in their entitlement. As we go forward, we meet a short list of empty and false characterizations. From businessmen to Realtors to buyers.....the movie failed to miss one stereotypical portrayal. And I am dismayed about the smiling, happy portrayals of cooks, waitresses, and ex-cons. The film's denial of the reality of working class issues shows that it is still rooted in the culture of wealth and greed and the American dream....for those who are privileged enough to still find it. Danny Glover's portrayal of grill man, Edward Collins was workmanlike, but the character was bogged down with too many tired clichés. Glover tried, but the character was unsalvageable. The bright spot in the whole movie was Crazy Kathy, portrayed by Dale Dickey. Seemingly outrageous, Crazy Kathy was the most real, most human of them all. But credit also has to go to Adam Johnson for a fine acting job playing the manager, Mathew Linslow. He was very believable and added a hint of humor.....something the film really needed. We all know adversity and we all hope we can emerge from it as better people. The enlightenment that is found at the end of some personal trial is only a small part of the story. It's the journey that makes up the substance of the tale. That is the meat on the bones. The journey of self discovery lends credibility and validates the big payoff at the end. This is where Waffle Street fails. Redemption comes. But it's built on a foundation of characterizations that I can only describe as empty, derogatory, and in many cases, insulting. It was as if the "manual on racial and social stereotypes" was used by the writers. The last third of the movie tries to breathe a little depth into a few of the characters, but was too little....too late. This film lost me early on. It never got me back.

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