It is a good thing that Waiting . . . (2005) is not a film many people talk about these days.  With a cast that features the likes of Anna Faris, Justin Long, and Ryan Reynolds, to name a few, you might think this is something that would stay somewhere close to the wider conscious even as society seems to slip further into a collective attention deficit disorder.  The fact that you have to hunt for it on streaming services is a testament to changing sensibilities, particularly as they relate to comedy.  Never mind the crass sexuality, drug use, or foul language contained therein.  You can find such material in most entertainment aimed at adults, no matter the genre.  Where it crosses a line is in a game that the employees of the restaurant called Shenaniganz, the setting for most of this story, play amongst themselves.  I am not going to describe it to you, but it amounts to gay shaming.  No matter what the news might try to convince you of these days, I still follow the Church’s teachings on homosexuality.  Having said that, it is not an activity in which anyone should engage, regardless of their views.  It also distracts from what is otherwise a pretty honest look at an American sub-culture, for better or worse, but usually worse.

At the house Dean (Justin Long) shares with his best friend and co-worker Monty (Ryan Reynolds), nobody is Waiting . . .  Instead, they are busy with a party that contains all of the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph.  This has the feel of a nightly routine for the staff of Shenaniganz, who comprise the majority of the revelers.  Dean is the last to arrive, but soon catches up with whatever nonsense these people do after their shifts end.  The next morning is seemingly more of the usual, with Dean waking up next to his girlfriend Amy (Kaitlin Doubleday).  Before they go to work, though, he has a visit with his mother, who is going on about a high school acquaintance of Dean’s who just graduated from college.  This is a sensitive subject for Dean, who knows that he must do something with his life but is unsure as to what move he should make.  He does not let his malaise, though, affect his performance at work.  Indeed, not long after he begins his shift, his manager, Dan (David Koechner), asks his young employee to step into the office.  Dean has been called into this sanctum because Dan wants to make the young man an assistant manager.  Dean is tempted by the position, needing the extra money it would entail.  Dan tries to sweeten the deal by reminding Dean of the power a person of rank can wield over people who are currently Dean’s peers.  More to the point, Dean will be able to tell people what to do and they will have to do it.  News spreads quickly that he has been offered the promotion, which sets many of them off against him, particularly the high-strung Naomi (Alanna Ubach).  Such is their reaction that Dean has to assure them that he has not made his decision.  For much of the rest of the night, Dean weighs whether to accept the offer, believing that it could be the responsible thing to do.  Really, though, he is apparently leaning against it, and there are a number of incidents that suggest that this could be the outcome.  The first comes when he attempts to forcefully return the tip of a pair of customers who woefully underpay the customary fifteen percent gratuity.  Dean’s outburst leads to a reprimand from Dan, who reminds the young man of what is at stake (no pun intended).  The next thing that rattles Dean is when he serves a table full of seemingly wealthy executives.  As he is collecting their orders, they wonder why he does not need to write down what they request.  He goes on to perfectly recite everything for which they asked.  This display earns Dean a business card from the person at the head of the table, with an invitation to call if Dead ever gets tired of working at Shenaniganz.  Dean believes it could be some other field, but it turns out to be yet another restaurant manager.  He then crumbles it up and throws it away.  The last event is when, minutes before they are to close and with the cooks literally watching the minutes tick off the clock to the end of their shifts, a couple walks in for a late dinner.  While the meal is prepared in an indescribably horrible manner, Dean is recognized by the male customer.  It is the same person who Dean’s mother had been talking about that morning.  As the pair finally leaving, the man leaves a $100 for his $30 meal.  When Dean asks if there is a mistake, he is told that he looks like he could use the money.  With this, Dean tells an apoplectic Dan that the would-be assistant manager quits.  From there, it is back home to more of the same as we saw at the beginning of the film.  Dean does not know what he will do with the rest of his life, but he is happy to not be doing the eponymous job any longer.

Waiting . . . is a movie with an ensemble cast, which means there are a number of different sublots that are thrown in to break up what would be a monotony of watching Dean work through his emotional problems.  None of them are really worth mentioning since Dean is clearly meant to be the main character.  Those of you who may be familiar with the film might complain that I left out Mitch (John Francis Daley).  The day during which most of this takes place is his first day at Shenaniganz, and the story is told through his eyes.  Thus, he is more of a plot device through which we have a reason to witness this depravity.  And people wonder why I try to avoid chain restaurants.  The person who interests me as a Catholic reviewer is the dishwasher, Bishop (Chi McBride).  Right away, that is a great name for a practicing Catholic.  Like most of us Church members should do, those who work at this Bennigan’s knock-off turn to their Bishop when in need of wisdom.  Dean is no different.  Before the young man even begins to ask for advice, Bishop anticipates what will be said.  The older gentleman knows Dean is discontent, and says that Dean’s life has become stagnant.  When this happens, it is important to take stock of what is important and make changes based on what you decide.  This stuck out to me because prayer life is something that is often in danger of becoming stagnant.  Casual Catholics, for lack of a better term, are particularly prone to this if they do not delve deeper into the meaning behind what some might refer to as rote recitations of endless “Our Fathers” and “Hail Marys.”  Still, that same sense of malaise, as Dean feels, can happen to anyone in the Faith, from the occasional Sunday Mass goer to the thirty-year convent veteran, or a young man working in a chain restaurant for eighteen months.  When this happens, it is likely that God is putting something on your heart, pulling it in a different direction.  If this is the case, then nothing that one does will be satisfactory until you start listening to and obeying His commands.  While Dean’s mode of employment is not my definition of a dream job, it does, nonetheless, provide an income.  That is more than many people around the world will ever have, and is a blessing that should be appreciated.  At the same time, not everyone is called to be waiter, or a priest, to name a few examples.  God desires us to put the talents He gave us to work.  That might look one way one day, but different the next.  We just have to be open to it.

These themes of following your true passions are embedded into the plot of Waiting. . .  The problem is that you have to wade through the muck and mire in order to get to it.  That can be worth it in some settings, but definitely not in this one.  Those of you who have labored in similar venues might be able to relate to it in some way, but I cannot recommend this one based on the material therein.