Cake (2015)

"Tell me a story where everything works out in the end for the evil witch."

Over ten years since ‘Friends’ finished and Jennifer Aniston finally plays a character that’s not Rachel Green...

Claire becomes obsessed with the recent suicide of a woman from her chronic pain support group while dealing with her own personal tragedy.

The main thing to say straight from the start is that ‘Cake’ is an extremely slow film.

It deals with a lot of heavy themes such as suicide, drug misuse, depression and grief. If you’re expecting a typical “rom-com” featuring a ditzy Jennifer Aniston then you’ve come to the wrong place. 

‘Cake’ is no doubt a slow burner but it is still interesting nonetheless. Despite a brief 102 minute running time, it feels more like a 3 hour slog so buckle up. Every move that Jennifer Aniston makes is so pained and slow that each scene becomes pained and slow. This sounds like a huge criticism but I actually thought that it worked well for this film. It had to have the slow pace otherwise it wouldn’t have been as effective when you get to the conclusion and resolution. You go through the film trying to piece together Claire’s story with the little hints and clues you are fed but you aren’t really given much until the end of the film. 

Jennifer Aniston finally shows some acting chops and plays a character that doesn’t belong in "Central Perk". What really surprised me about this revelation is the fact that she actually does a really good job as Claire. 

She delivers a very mature performance as a woman who is struggling to deal with her personal traumas while searching for answers. 

It was interesting to watch her cope with both the emotional pain and the physical pain that she is constantly in as a result of an unexplained tragedy. This physical manifestation of her guilt was both compelling and uncomfortable. Claire is in constant agony throughout the entire film and you actually begin to feel all of her aches and pains as the film slowly drags on. You can see glimmers of the woman she used to be with her wit and passion but she is no doubt a broken woman.

The relationships between all of the characters are believable and really suck you into Claire's shattered world. The way the different characters act and react to Claire give you an indication of her personality and her situation which was refreshing to watch in what could have potentially been an extremely stale film. She is a compelling, conflicted, interesting and well grounded female character which is all too rare these days. 

Another example of a compelling female actress in 'Cake' is Adrianna Barraza who plays Silvana, Claire's housekeeper/carer, who is left to pick up the pieces of Claire's life. She becomes more than just her paid help as we learn that she just can't bring herself to leave Claire's side. She is well developed and we come to love her as she is like a mother to her. A strong supporting actress that helps boost Jennifer Aniston's performance and raises the bar.

After seeing ‘Cake’, I’m surprised that Jennifer Aniston didn’t at least get a nod from the Oscars with a nomination but she was completely snubbed which is a shame. I don’t think she would have won but a nomination at least would have been justified. 

The supporting cast were solid and likeable, especially Sam Worthington as Roy Collins. The relationship that develops between Claire and Roy is heartbreaking and understandable. Both characters are dealing with a massive trauma and are looking for a sense of normality and closeness. It’s interesting to watch the two try and cope together and navigate through the minefield that is grief.

‘Cake’ softly takes us by the hand and presents us with one woman’s journey as she deals with grief and guilt. They say that everyone grieves differently and that is so true in ‘Cake’. Grief is something that we all have to deal with at one point in our lives and I think that this film gently and carefully deals with it and does it justice in the end. It is touching and heartbreaking but you feel a sense of relief leaving the cinema. Whether that relief is the end of Claire’s journey or the fact that the film is over is yet to be determined but it is a nice feeling nonetheless. 

Overall, I don’t think I would rush back to see ‘Cake’ any time soon but I think it is worth a watch. It’s a heavy film that is grounded in some hard hitting realism so don’t see it expecting a few giggles from Jennifer Aniston, I’d recommend a few tissues and a bottle of wine if you’re wanting to abide by the cliché...