Cake

Jennifer Aniston plays Clare, a woman in chronic pain who becomes curious about a fellow support group member's-Nina's (Anna Kendrick in dream sequences)-suicide. She ends up becoming involved in Nina's husband (Sam Worthington) and his child platonically though she also has a maid who also cares for her even though she doesn't always treat her with the utmost respect. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a departure for Ms. Aniston from her usual comedic persona as she's convincingly quite pathetic in appearance and demeanor. This was not an easy thing to sit through and one gets confused a few times but for all that, I recommend Cake.

This film tells the story of a woman with chronic pain, who becomes fixated with the suicide of a member in her support group. She works through the death of the friend, in order to work through her own grief.

Jennifer Aniston is only vaguely recognisable in this film, because she has scars on her face, she looks older, put on weight and basically is not looking glamorous at all. She plays this woman who is misusing pain killers, which gives her hallucinations. It is sad to see that she is so troubled by the events. I was also impressed by Adriana Barraza, who gives a stunning tirade in Spanish after Jennifer Aniston's ordeal on the train tracks. The tirade somehow leads to the satisfying ending, which is a subtly happy one.

It is not immediately apparent why the film is called "Cake", if you have not watched it. After watching it, I see why it is called cake, but I still find it a little to far fetched to be related to the central story line.

The reviews were for this were... not good. Perhaps it was because of lowered expectations, but this was a perfectly fine, solid film. Not a great one, no, but a solid film that serves as a vehicle for some really good acting. Barraza injects a lot of humanity and compassion in her character, even if sadly, she's not given as much screen time as she deserves. And while it seemed like all of the hype for Jennifer Aniston was for the reason of who she was (and it probably was) she's strong here. There's no real ounce of superficiality or showing off, certainly not when the character isn't a very showy one to showcase. She would actually be deserving of an Oscar nomination.

So... a pretty, funny, former sitcom actress... gives us a few signs that she might be capable of playing roles outside of the 'amusing chick' rom-com regular.

She does parts that secure her reputation of being a talented American 'cutie', she plays 'off-beat' characters with ease... and only occasionally lets the 'pay-day' Hollywood 'starlet' see the light of day.

Then she does this. A film that explores suicide, mental illness, self-loathing and the morality of friendship.

At the age of 60, I have gotten used to the annual round of 'Oscar Worthy' films being shoved down our throats... but this is different. Fine writing, authentic story telling... and unnecessarily great acting.

Any 'Oscar' hungry actor could have made a decent job of this... but Ms Aniston makes a brilliant job of it. She is no 'pretty-girl' actor here... she displays vulnerability, courageous wit... and does it all with aplomb.

If she doesn't get 'Best Actress'... the 'Oscars' are irrelevant.

"Thank you for ruining my life. Thank you for ruining Casey's life. Thank you for leaving me in this mess. I hate you so much I can barely breath."

"Way to go Jennifer". For me she's the first one who succeeds in removing the yoke of the sitcom "Friends" and play a character that doesn't remind you of that caricature appearance she played in it. Look at David Schwimmer in "The Iceman" and you see Ross with a totally wrong,fake mustache. Even Matthew Perry's can't hide the characteristics of Chandler in "Numb". Lisa Kudrow tries in "Scandal" to resemble an extremely cool and tough presidential candidate, and yet you expect a crazy remark followed by that wonderful bizarre giggle. And Jennifer Aniston couldn't put the Rachel-type aside in "The Break-Up" and "We're the Millers". But in "Cake" she succeeded in that above all expectations. She delivers a sublime and admirable performance here as Claire Bennett. A scarred woman, physical and psychological. You can see the pain in that tired look and those languid eyes. Even the sneering and cynical humor that she uses, can't cover up the agonies she's suffering from.

After a fatal accident Claire stays behind all alone, with visible and invisible scars. A mangled body patched up afterwards. But she can no longer enjoy life to its full extent. And then there's also the unbearable pain caused by the loss of her son. The result is a bitter, suffering and obnoxious woman abandoned by everyone. The support group prefers her to seek a different kind of help because of her anger issues. The physiotherapist is giving up on her because she has the impression that Claire makes no attempt to rehabilitate. Her husband left her for an unknown reason. Is it because of her moods and harsh remarks? Is there some reproach? Has Claire thrown him out because she doesn't tolerate pity? We can only guess. Similarly, the conditions or cause of the accident are unknown. The only one who sticks to Claire, is her faithful housekeeper, the likable Mexican Silvana.

It's a magnificent portrait of the life course of a presumably wealthy lawyer who slowly but surely sees everything collapsing around her due to the traumatic event. Both her marriage and professional career falters while she's losing herself because of the amount of painkillers and sleeping pills she's taking. What's left is a human wreck without any zest for life. There's only one critical element missing : the courage to finally put it to an end. A backbreaking attitude to life with pent-up grief and eternally recurrent pain as a central issue. You can truly feel the pain. And this all is perfectly played by Jennifer Aniston, who isn't worrying about a perfect makeup and a flashy hairstyle which would be massively hyped afterwards. Her appearance always looks as if she just crawled out of bed after a sleepless night. A face battered by scars, unkempt messed up hair and shabby clothes. A depressed and weary bitchy woman. But one who occasionally brings up funny and sarcastic remarks.

Gradually Claire expresses interest in a participant from her support group who committed suicide and it seems to be her ultimate salvation. Is it the drugs that causes Claire to start hallucinating about Nina (Anna Kendrick) ? Or is her subconscious the reason ? Whether appropriate or not Nina appears and tries to convince her to take that final step. "You don't believe in God...heaven or hell. You don't believe in anything. What about now. Just do it. Don't be such a coward." Claire is intrigued by the character Nina and starts digging in her life. Finally she meets Roy (Sam Worthington), which is the start of a slow recovery. Maybe it's all a bit too much peppered with poignant clichés that'll ensure some sad moments filled with tears, but overall it was a bold and moving portrait of someone torn apart by grief and pain.

Perhaps an Oscar nomination was worthwhile. At least Jennifer Aniston got nominated for a Golden Globe. And by the way well deserved. This "Friends" star delivered a terrific performance as the distraught,addicted-to-pills woman. And speaking of the symbolic meaning of the movie title, this is subtly revealed at the end. Splendid movie. And also because of leaving out sensational footage of the accident. An admirable choice that only strengthens the whole!

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