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In a perfect world, Heather Graham would be as bankable as, say, Julia Roberts.

Graham certainly is prettier than the Pretty Woman, has a better sense of comedic timing and, let's face it, has eyes you could disappear into. (Any straight guy who says otherwise is, well, probably Republican.) Trouble is, Graham isn't going to be America's sweetheart - I don't know if she wants to be - if she keeps making films such as "Cake."

I realize Graham executive-produced this film. What was she thinking? Surely she saw Tassie Cameron's script as just another run-of-the-mill romantic comedy replete with the clichéd love triangle and tired stereotypes.

Perhaps Graham needs a new agent - especially after the "Emily's Reasons Why Not" debacle. She has some good films on her resume -"Bowfinger" (1999), "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Two Girls and a Guy" (1997), "The Ballad of Little Jo" (1993) and "Drugstore Cowboy" (1989). But the roles that stand out are Rollergirl and Felicity Shagwell and it's the clunkers that seem to define her - "Lost in Space" (1998), "Say It Ain't So" (2001) and "Killing Me Softly" (2002). Now, add "Cake" to the mix.

Cameron and director Nisha Ganatra don't even bother masking their film's hackneyed plot. Which is a shame because they have a talented cast. There's Graham, Taye Diggs, Cheryl Hines, Sandra Oh (who's terrific on TV's "Grey's Anatomy") and Sarah Chalke, who knows what it's like to do genuinely funny comedy on TV's "Scrubs," which, for my money, is the best half-hour on TV.

Graham, much like Roberts, isn't a masterful dramatic actress. Her turn as English hooker Mary Kelly in "From Hell" (2001) was admirable, albeit miscast. But Graham clearly knows how to play comedy. She just needs good material. Her nine-episode stint as Dr. Molly Clock on "Scrubs" proved as much.

There's never a moment in "Cake" when you think, "Oh, this is different." Cameron's script is so atrociously lazy that she never bothers to include even the slightest of surprises. Poor Graham flays about buoyantly in a valiant, yet futile, attempt to elicit laughs out of this bad script.

In "Cake," she's Pippa McGee, a spunky, care-free travel writer suddenly forced to take over her dad's magazine - a bridal periodical. There's some humor in the decor of the magazine's offices as this sprightly, independent feminist tries to handle things. But the story is so clunky and her two love interest so unreal and dull, there's not even a modicum of sense to this whole enterprise. Pippa spends such little time with the men that it's asking a lot of us to believe either would work.

As much fun as it is to see the luminescent Graham bounce around, she certainly deserves better than this mediocre fare.

Heather Graham stars in this pretty pink lace bow of a movie, alternately flashing her pearly white smile and puppy dog eyes from scene to scene. One gets the feeling that watching the straight-to-DVD release with you are thousands of sorority girls braiding each other's hair while wearing fluffy animal slippers and pretending to cry.

Graham plays Pippa McGee (a movie name if there ever was one), a free spirit (slut) with a penchant for impulsive decisions (one night stands) and globe hopping adventures (inability to commit). We get the prerequisite explanations for her issues: A mother who died when she was a teenager; A distant father who is too hard on her; A group of friends who have an unspoken pact to remain independent and strong without the help of a man.

Pippa returns from one of her freelance adventure trips to find her father on the verge of a heart-attack and in need of someone to help run one of his magazines... Surprise, surprise... It is a bridal magazine named 'Wedding Bells'. And isn't that just the dream job for girls who wear pink pajamas? Needless to say, the magazine causes her problems being that she stands for everything that the magazine condemns. Her first issue is an unqualified disaster.

Then, as per screen writing 101, she meets two guys who will inevitably form the other two corners of the film's love triangle. Taye Diggs plays the studly photographer who shares Pippa's love for non-committal sex and fun. David Sutcliffe plays the straight-laced business man who wants more from Pippa than a quickie in the hot-tub.

I am one of the biggest romantics you'll meet, but even I have nothing but respect for singles who feel that marriage is a ludicrous institution that is either ultimately doomed to fail or descend into a comfortable acceptance of routine and safe boredom. This film seems to be championing the notion that women shouldn't feel the need to 'find a man' in order to feel complete. But the final act pulls the rug from under that notion and the movie fizzles into a standard rom-com riddled with "You Go Girlfriend" scenes and cheesy b-grade love songs.

Now... I think that Heather Graham is utterly underrated as an actress because of a few choice roles as the quintessential ditzy blonde with big boobs. But she has actually been far better than people give her credit for in films like "Boogie Nights", "Two Girls & a Guy", "Sidewalks of New York", "Swingers" & "The Guru". She is quite easily capable of carrying a film with energy and charisma. She is even good in this fluffy film despite having little to work with in terms of a script.

I liked the pace of the film. I thought Heather was fun to watch. The romances are cutesy, if not substantive. The 'friends' are amusing from time to time, led by the always refreshing Sandra Oh (Sideways) and Sarah Chalke (Scrubs). Diggs and Sutcliffe are nice counterpoints to one another. And the overall production was colorfully distracting enough to merit a passable grade. But there isn't anything here to really chew on... well hardly anything. "Cake" is a high-school cheerleader's wet dream of what life might become. I say we let her have that dream before she gets knocked up by the college senior who will dump her, leaving her to drop out of school as a single mom applying for a job at Taco Bell.

TC Candler IndependentCritics.com

Romantic comedies usually suck, but I have to admit I was very touched by this film which I randomly got to see at a test screening in Santa Monica. Heather Graham was excellent (yeah, she really was...maybe she can actually act...strange, huh?), the supporting cast is HILARIOUS (HELLO!!!! Sandra Oh, Cheryl Hines, Sarah Chalke and Taye Diggs -- how has this never been in the theater near me?? I keep looking...where the heck is it?), and the story was really sweet and fun. Who doesn't like the idea of a girl choosing between two great looking guys? I don't think it's the best script ever, but the pacing was good, the acting was good, the shots looked nice, and I loved the ending. Very feel good. With heart. Totally worth seeing.

The characters are what you might expect for this type of film, but nonetheless are well-cast and played in good fun.

Things work out mostly like you'd expect, but that doesn't stop it from being a pleasant way to pass the time with a few smiles.

I gave it a 7 because It was a lighthearted way to end my evening and made me feel good.

When you watch a movie, what more do you really need?

Cake is about finding out that however lofty your ideals maybe, you can always be wrong.

This comedy, as all good Hollywood productions, starts by over doing the traits of its main character. At some point, her zealousness runs her into a wall and then the movie starts to be a bit more realistic, a bit more sensible.

The story itself is simple, the plot elements unsurprising, and, even if the dialogs hold their own and are funny, they are uninventive.

The big attraction of the movie is that it is entertaining, and it doesn't screw up. You'll spend a good evening if you're interested in seeing an over idealistic, over energized young woman make a mess of things and then save the day in true Hollywood fashion.