The film focuses on several characters. One of the main protagonists, Dean, has been a waiter at a restaurant called Shenaniganz for four years since graduating from high school, and has not earned a degree during his four years at a community college. When Dean learns from his mother that a former high school classmate, Chett, now has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, he begins to rethink his direction-less life. Dean's roommate and co-worker, Monty, is in exactly the same situation, but has accepted that his future lies with the restaurant. Monty is put in charge of training Mitch, a newly hired waiter who is constantly interrupted throughout most of the film before he can speak, usually by Monty. Also working with Dean is Calvin, a hopeless romantic who cannot urinate in public, and Dan, the uptight manager who is grooming Dean as his protégé. Rounding out the staff are 17-year-old hostess Natasha, abrasive waitress Naomi, waitress Serena, Dean's girlfriend and fellow waitress Amy, stoner busboys T-Dog and Nick, head chef Raddimus, the insane, unsanitary chef Floyd, lesbian bartender Tyla, and the pensive and philosophical dishwasher Bishop. The waiters preoccupy themselves with endless gossip, complaining about the customers, seeking covert revenge on particularly rude or annoying patrons, and playing a special kind of game which involves flashing genitalia at a fellow worker. Each employee has his or her own problems and stories, which are interwoven with the ebb and flow of business. A common phrase used throughout the film, which is referred to in the Shenaniganz training video is "The only thing different between extraordinary and ordinary, is that little bit of extra!" This phrase is mocked by many of the wait staff during the film. Minutes before the restaurant closes, however, Chett and his girlfriend come in for dinner and leave Dean a hefty tip out of pity. This prompts Dean to quit his job—turning down an assistant manager position Dan offered him at the beginning of the film—to seek a more promising future. When the shift ends, the staff head to a party at Monty and Dean's house. At the party, Monty - who has a predilection for sleeping with teenage girls - is able to resist having sex with Natasha, although he says they will have sex the following Wednesday, when she will be 18. Calvin attempts to fix his relationship problems, and Mitch finally speaks, calling out his coworkers on their problems and quitting. He concludes by giving them all The Goat from the "Penis Showing Game", which Raddimus had told him earlier would instantly grant him god-status. Sure enough, Monty swears his undying allegiance to Mitch, telling Dean he's been "replaced." The film ends with the staff talking about the incident with Mitch, and Dan showing up at a disgruntled customer's house after Natasha gave him the wrong address to the party on purpose.
Cast
Critical reception
Waiting... received mixed to mostly negative reviews., the film holds a 30% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 92 reviews with an average rating of 4.18 out of 10; the site's consensus states: "Waiting... is a gross-out comedy that's more gross than comic." Metacritic gave the film a 30/100, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5 stars out of 4 claiming that "Waiting... is melancholy for comedy".
Box office
The film grossed over double its budget during the opening weekend with $6,021,106 in 1,652 theaters. It opened at #7 in the U.S. box office. Its total gross was $18,637,690 with $16,124,543 within the U.S. and $2,513,147 in foreign box offices.
Score
The original score for the film was composed by Adam Gorgoni. A soundtrack was released and is available only through the iTunes Store. The track listing is as follows:
A direct-to-DVD sequel to Waiting... titled Still Waiting... was released on February 17, 2009. The second film is about another Shenaniganz location dealing with new competition from a Hooters-like sports bar called TaTa's Wing Shack run by Calvin from the first movie.
