The Happy Waitress takes some of the material Martin Scorsese was simply afraid to touch in Alice Doesn't Live here Anymore, and advances it to the point that a mundane occupation becomes a fascinating spectacle.
It is the vision of director Terrence Smith that makes this film the eye-popper that it is. All the tricks are in Smith's bag, but he is not simply the master of formal conceits. His feel for the characters and their plight display a maturity seldom seen in such a young filmmaker.
To say that this film is recommended would be a gross under-statement. It is, simply, the finest film of the year.