Suffering chronic pain, cranky Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston) is first seen as part of a support group, led by Annette (Felicity Huffman), who encourages everyone to express their feelings about the suicide of a fellow member named Nina (Anna Kendrick). “Way to go, Nina,” Claire caustically declares—after describing Nina's plunge off a Los Angeles freeway onto the top of a flatbed truck headed for Mexico. Acerbic, pill-popping Claire has anesthetized herself from the world since a tragic automobile accident that scarred her, alienated her husband (Chris Messina), and killed their young son. Wallowing in misery, perpetually scowling Claire is asked if she really wants to recover by her perceptive physical therapist (Mamie Gummer). When Claire starts hallucinating about Nina, she invents a phony pretext to seek out Nina's grieving widower, Roy (Sam Worthington), who's been left with a young son, and a bizarre friendship slowly develops. Deliberately un-glamorous, Aniston epitomizes drab, dowdy, and depressed here, yet Claire is also privileged, living in a stunning hilltop home with a swimming pool where she is devotedly cared for by her long-suffering Mexican housekeeper (Adriana Barraza). Directed by Daniel Barnz, this flaky, underwhelming dramatic confection is an optional purchase, at best. (S. Granger)
Cake
Fox, 102 min., R, DVD: $22.98, <span class=SpellE>Blu</span>-ray: $29.99, Apr. 21 Volume 30, Issue 3
Cake
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: