The Cake Eaters

"The cake eaters" is above all a picture with characters full of humanity, and the merit has to be given to the screenwriter, who offered intense and heartful dialogues, as well as to the director, who was able to guide a talented cast, as to convey the depth of their dramatic roles, without ever making them sound pathetic or unnecessarily melodramatic. There's a strong dignity in each of the characters, each one having to come to terms with old unsolved issues and relationships. The theme of love, at every age, at every stage, in every form is unraveled with a strong consciousness of all the single and unique problems, difficulties, but also positive involvement, that each single story may carry. I loved the touching story between Georgia and "Beagle", as it shows such delicacy, although facing complicated issues, such as disability and virginity. But in general, all the themes of the movie, from love to loss, to death, betrayal, seem to be treated with such tact,with such a sympathetic attitude towards the frailty of human beings, that also the overall sense of drama is softened, and a final sense of peace and relief is to be appreciated. A drama capable of making you feel good, a rare cinema experience.

If you only know Kristen S. as "Bella", than you haven't seen her full Spectrum yet. This is one of the films where she can show what she is really capable of. Of course this being an ensemble piece, there are quite a few other people, who are all really good in their roles. And while this is a man trying to get past his ... well past (I'm talking about the script writer), it still is able to affect other people (the viewers), too.

Of course a drama isn't something that will get all people excited and there are quite a few things, that might get you off the movie. But if you take the time and invest in the characters as the filmmakers did, you will come to like it. Plus the audio commentary is a really nice one to listen to.

"The Cake Eaters" is so subtle a story and pleasing a film you won't notice how great it is until it is over. Much credit is due to Jayce Bartok, the screenwriter, as well as, Mary Stuart Masterson, the director, to fulfill the hearts of its characters while filling the souls of the audience. "Eaters" sweet subtleties meet heavy hearts touching on such powerful subjects as love, death, secrecy, adultery, disability, virginity, abandonment, and rebellion. With each character involved in one or more relationships: father/son, mother/daughter, grandmother/granddaughter, brothers; love: new, old, rekindled, exes; they are pulled apart at the seams, some almost to a breaking point, only to be shown how close they are.

At the heart of the story, in between all the eaters of cake, is Georgia, a young woman "living" with a rare genetic disorder that affects her mobility but not her spirit. Georgia is played wonderfully and with grace by Kristen Stewart ("Into the Wild"). Her performance is at the center of this story and is worthy of any if not all accolades (Oscar?). You find yourself so enmeshed in her ability to convince, that she makes "The Cake Eaters" truly magnificent.

As up-state New York sets the tone for the story it throws you back in time, maybe the 70's, while staying in the present. The film opens with footage of old home movies and settles nicely in a gray, rainy, folk art town, where everyone knows your name. And it sure seems nice to have been a part of it.

I have been waiting for this movie from a very long time. Wait is a worthwhile, and i thoroughly enjoyed this one. Mary Stuart Masterson has captured complete concentration from the audience. You can watch this movie if your feeling low or even good.

This movie is about love and relationship. If you are physically unfit, you are not going to loose out of love and its wonderfully portrayed by Kristen Stewart. Overall your heart will float in a sea of joy.

Kristen Stewart is amazing, she takes a through a journey of kind bigheartedness and love. She definitely has a bright future and a long career. The storyline is perfect which contains emotions and humor.

Aaron Stanford is equally good in his own way. A piece of work through which you will fell good for at least a day. Cheers!!!!

In a backwater town in upstate New York, Georgia Kaminski (Kristin Stewart), a teenage girl with a terminal nervous disorder, finds herself torn between the frivolity of her grandmother (Elizabeth Ashley) and overly protective mother who, in the hopes of bringing awareness and humanity to her daughter's disease, takes controversial photos of Georgia in the nude. Several miles away, aspiring musician Guy Kimbrough (Jayce Bartok) returns to the house of estranged father Easy (Bruce Dern) and younger brother Beagle (Aaron Stanford), trying to hide the secret of his failure to make it big. Easy is the town butcher, recently widowed, with secrets of his own, while Beagle, the kid who never left home, has surrendered his life to the care of his father and late mother, and struggles to find an identity of his own. Kaminskis and Kimbroughs conjoin dramatically when Georgia, hoping to find love in her life, and to find it before it's too late, courts the affection of Beagle, whom she meets at an outdoor flea market. The innocent but contentious relationship causes a series of reckonings, as both families are forced to contend with the heaps of emotional baggage that have piled up in their lives.

Masterson keeps it real with this one. The drama is understated, the tension is subtle, and the characters are both distinct and believable. Hats off to Kristin Stewart, who manages to be a dozen things at once – tragic but not pitiful, strong, endearing, funny, unconventionally sexy, and none of the clichés we've grown to associate with any of Hollywood's notorious mental illnesses. Remaining hats to Bruce Dern, a long-time favorite of mine, who keeps a lid on things and never fails to command our respect, even as his character slides deeper into dubious behavior.

In many ways, the film's strengths almost become its undoing. The sustained, understated quality of the storytelling prevents the movie from having any kind of real climax, and the immaculate tension set up in the first hour of the movie never quite pays off in a way I would like. That said, it's still a beautiful film, a capstone of movie-making maturity, and deserves the widest audience possible.