Cake

MPAA Rating: R for language, substance abuse and brief sexuality.

Run Time: 102 Minutes

My Rating; 3.5/5

So tonight my wife and I went and saw Cinelou Films' Cake starring Jennifer Aniston (Friends), Anna Kendrick (Into the Woods), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Adriana Barraza (Thor), and Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives).  The film follows Claire Bennett, a woman suffering from chronic pain who becomes obsessed with the suicide of a friend in her chronic pain support group, Nina.  As she discovers the details of Nina's suicide, she begins to form an emotional relationship with Nina's husband and son.  While she gets close to figuring out Nina's mindset before her suicide, Claire is able to grapple with her own very personal tragedy.  

So personally I thought this film was really good.  I had heard a lot about this film the past few weeks because everyone believed that Jennifer Aniston was going to receive an Oscar nomination and to tell you the truth after seeing this performance I will say right here that I believe the Academy made a huge mistake not honoring this incredible performance by Jennifer Aniston.  This is by far Jennifer Aniston at her best and I think she should be rewarded for it.  This is completely outside the realm of her other film and television projects and she makes the transition flawlessly.  She is by far the thing that holds this entire film together and she does an amazing job.  Another thing that I loved about this film is just how realistic it actually is.  There are real people dealing with the issues that Jennifer Aniston's character is dealing with and this film is not afraid to hold back.  I commend the director in treating these issues with great care, but also not being afraid to show them in their fullest.
So though I thought the film was really good, I have to admit I was just really depressed and angry for most of the movie.  It has nothing to do with the film itself or the actors or anything, the subject matter is just really depressing and infuriating to watch.  I just wanted to be there and tell the characters that everything was going to be alright, but of course I couldn't.  Another thing that bugged me about this film was that I was very confused about where the film was going for probably the first 20-30 minutes and really even after that I still didn't know exactly where this film was going to end up.  That doesn't mean that I didn't like it, but that is just how I felt.
Overall, I thought the film was good.  I personally would watch this film again.  Now this definitely is not a film that everyone will like.  Even if you are a die-hard Jennifer Aniston fan or movie fan you may not like it.  This film is deep and deals with really emotional and personal issues.  However I think that this is a true work of art and should be praised for its portrayal of these issues and the incredible acting by its star.

Thanks again for reading!! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!!