ComedyFan2010 When watching this movie I noticed that it is pretty unrealistic. And was very surprised that it was based on a true story. But of course I don't know how close to the facts this movie was made. But sometimes realism isn't necessary to enjoy the movie. This was the case with Waffle Street for me.I love the movie because it was so kind and feel good. I don't care how "privileged" the main character is. I still enjoyed watching him discover himself and what he wants from life. And I was totally rooting for him to find what makes him happy and achieve his goals.The acting is pretty good. Working in food service before I never was in a situation where people were like one big happy family, but I loved watching it on screen with all coworkers of Jim bringing in their special characters and personality that helped him in his time of self discovery.I loved how it ended and am happy how this movie left me with a feeling of happiness afterwards.

Davidpm-751-837149 Having worked in food service this brought back a lot of memories and was completely on target, The main character was a perfect example of somebody learning a whole new world.Food service is one of the hardest jobs out there and one that everybody should experience first hand.There is so much that goes on in food service that the customers never know but should experience first hand.

Kyle Freeman Ever feel such a way about a movie that you had to try and convince others to watch it? Because this is a first for me. I picked this movie because it was late; I wanted to watch a movie that would be enough to fall asleep to but interesting enough to be worth sacrificing some Z's. I'm 20 years old, half way through a bachelors in Visual and Game Programming, and I'm about to publish my first game, green lit by the Steam community. I'm currently working as a server myself, and I often day dream at work that I'm already successful as a professional and independent developer, but choose to continue working there to keep myself humble. This movie's plot isn't quite the same, but I got the same satisfaction from it. Beyond that personal connection, there was so much wisdom in this movie; some blatantly quoted, and some was subtle but real. I'm going to bed tonight feeling inspired, and tomorrow is going to be a productive day for me.By review standards, this one is probably too personal, but I had to share my thoughts on this great movie.

eladale-90211 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.