Waiting ...

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Waiting ...

R

2005

1h 33m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

92 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Staffers at the restaurant Shenaniganz engage in various pranks and games -- both on and off the clock. However, in the course of one day, waiter Dean (Justin Long) must choose to either accept a promotion to manager or go off in search of greener pastures. Meanwhile, his co-worker and roommate, Monty (Ryan Reynolds), fights temptation in the form of an underage colleague, while showing a new employee (John Francis Daley) the ins and outs, providing him the worst first day of his life.

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Critics Consensus

Waiting... is a gross-out comedy that is more gross than comic.

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Scott Tobias

AV Club

Were the dialogue funnier and the characters more endearing, the film's total lack of forward momentum would be a winning quality...

Apr 28, 2020

Full Review

Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Pretty much everything that happens, and everyone who appears, seems to have been machine-tooled to appeal to the slacker constituency.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 3, 2006

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Frequently offensive and doggedly disgusting.

Rated: 0/5

Oct 29, 2005

Full Review

James Croot

The Post NZ

As routine and bland as the food our protagonists are forced to serve.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 23, 2023

Full Review

Steve Persall

Tampa Bay Times

We can handle anything a prankster like McKittrick can dish out, if he doesn't treat us like the customer in Waiting who sends an undercooked steak back to the kitchen. He thinks comedy is all bodily fluids and cruel gutter talk...

Rated: F

Apr 28, 2020

Full Review

Rubin Safaya

Cinemalogue

Instead, it fizzles like the stale beer served at a bad restaurant...

Apr 28, 2020

Full Review

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Aaron D

Great movie, always go back to it when I need a funny lift. This and Mallrats.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/25

Full Review

A real C

Excellent for a laugh and yet another glaring example of how out of touch Rotten Tomatoes critics are.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

Full Review

Michael H.

Great raunchy comedy flick. Just watch it and trust me. Perfect casting and laughs. A little known classic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/02/25

Full Review

Omid S.

If you’re waiting, you have to see this movie. It’s one of the most funniest movies in the world. I think it’s one of Ryan Reynolds, greatest movies and especially in early days.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

Full Review

B C

It brings to life the of comedy of life in the food service industry as described in the unrelated nonfiction book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, by Anthony Bourdain. Easy entertainment with lots of actors early in their careers satisfying the sense of nostalgia, at just the right length in under 90mins

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Wayne G

As usual, the out-of-touch, hyper sensitive, PC “professional critics” hated this film, while in the general population, this film stands out as a solid character driven plot with plenty of laughs amid the grossness. Perfectly describes the restaurant worker culture and the craziness that can occur there. A must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

Full Review

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Rob McKittrick

Director

Ryan Reynolds

Monty

Anna Faris

Serena

Justin Long

Dean

David Koechner

Dan

Luis Guzmán

Raddimus

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Synopsis

Staffers at the restaurant Shenaniganz engage in various pranks and games -- both on and off the clock. However, in the course of one day, waiter Dean (Justin Long) must choose to either accept a promotion to manager or go off in search of greener pastures. Meanwhile, his co-worker and roommate, Monty (Ryan Reynolds), fights temptation in the form of an underage colleague, while showing a new employee (John Francis Daley) the ins and outs, providing him the worst first day of his life.

Director: Rob McKittrick
Producer: Jeff Balis, Papussamol Pawatkamolpat, Stavros Merjos, Jay Rifkin, Adam Rosenfelt
Screenwriter: Rob McKittrick
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Element Films
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Crude Humor|Sexual Humor|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.1M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround

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