Cake (2014)

Nice effects though.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Like many others who have commented on this piece before, I was never a fan of Rachel, and that dislike naturally affected my perception and judgment of -- as well as expectations toward -- Aniston and her work. The portrayal of Claire caused some massive adjustments, which makes me really joyous. Aniston's character in Cake is interesting and convincing in so many ways, and it gives food for thought in so many aspects -- it makes you wonder what alternative path(s) as an actress she might have taken in the absence of Friends. But never mind all that. Here's hoping (and now also very much expecting -- yeah, revealing one's talent can be a real curse) that we'll get a lot more of THAT actress in the future.The development of Claire's character, and thus the film as such, progresses at a good pace. Don't be turned off by claims that the first half is too slow, it absolutely isn't. Portraying the many facets of pain that represent Claire's reality couldn't possibly be done more quickly, it would be entirely inappropriate. In fact, I assume the director had a lot more material in that section which he was forced to cut to appeal to a broader audience (which is a real shame).Similarly, don't be misled by claims that much of the first part of Cake is a '(self-)pity party'. Whoever spouts such nonsense simply lacks any experience of what chronic pain is like. In a sense, such people are to be admired and congratulated because they seem to have lived rather luckily. On the down-side, lack of personal experience comes with lack of true understanding and empathy, which is unfortunate. If anything, it's rather amazing that Claire manages to operate as well as she does. Many, perhaps most, others in her position wouldn't. That she is snarky and short in her interaction with others cannot possibly surprise, constant pain does that to a person.I also liked that the full spectrum of pains was not revealed immediately. We slowly learn that chronic bodily misery is not the only part of Claire's hell. Rather, psychological pains -- and here too, not just one kind -- represent key aspects of the character's daily experience of 'life'. Over the course of the film, more and more agony gets packed on, making you wonder how she's even able to manage anything other than a crawl. In this respect, I actually found the weakness of her suicidal tendencies (as portrayed) quite unconvincing. How could anyone not strongly wish to put an end to this kind of suffering?? (Religion certainly didn't seem to play a preventative role.)One key question that I wish the film would have had time to consider is how relatively lucky Claire is despite her personal hell. Imagine the same fate had affected not Claire -- who's obviously materially well-off -- but rather her housekeeper Silvana. If Claire's life is agony, what would the existence of an immigrant be like?All in all, much applauded and recommended.

I had mixed feelings about this film. First the good: I enjoyed the thoughtful attempt to explore issues of pain, tragedy and suicide. I enjoyed many of the performance, including Anna Kendrick as Nina's ghost. I thought Jennifer Aniston's performance was reasonably good, but certainly not worth all of the hand-ringing claims of Oscar snub. It was simply not so great as to be at the level of the greatest actresses. The less good: i didn't believe most of the relationships, much of the dialogue. the dark comedy elements, in my opinion, interfered with the serious drama going on. There were snapshots of authenticity that were powerful and meaningful, but the incongruous setting made the whole thing not gel very well for me. In short, despite my interest in these themes, I did not enjoy much of the film because of the writing/and or directing.

Spoiler alert..... the film fits into those categories that seem the trend these days where it starts on a down note and pretty much ends on a down note. The characters fail to change and you see very little growth. I personally don't find this type of story very conducive to great filmmaking because it lacks drama. Compounding matters, it appears Cake is a self-produced picture by Aniston the main star, which can sometimes lead to a a lack of objectivity. As a result, Aniston's dialogue is often wordy and the character repeats the same lines over and over or plays the same mood notes. I suppose this could have been avoided if she were not producing and writers had exercised more control or an editor could have simply cut out the fat. The film also has quite a few false endings where it simply feels as if it won't end but you've already gotten the point and the main character keeps repeating the same lines as if in a loop, again a symptom of a self-produced star driven picture. I will note that I admire Aniston and think she's a very strong actress but this picture spun out of control from the lack of it. I did not know much about this picture before I watched it but the filmmaking broadcasted it was self-produced by these symptoms.

I am actually surprised by the bad reviews that this movie has received. I will attribute it to the unlikeness of the character, acted (masterfully) by Jennifer Aniston. This is a story of a woman who has been through a terrible tragedy, and I will not say more about that since this is something to discover slowly as the film reveals itself. This is an "experience" movie, which is not about a mystery or a thriller, but is about the personal experience of the characters in everyday life events. Jennifer Aniston has bravely portrayed a woman who has been through a personal tragedy, and is trying to maintain a routine and sustain some connection with the few people in her life. We are not fully connected with that woman at first, until we realise the nature of her tragedy and understand how it effected her. In my opinion, it is only then that the viewer understands the true value of this film and is being rewarded for their patience.This film delivers with fantastic acting on all parts, great script and a satisfying ending. Its only fault is that you would only want to watch it once, because of the hard topic and the unlikeness of the main character.