Review of Cake (2014) by Kristen B — 13 Mar 2015

The 2014 drama film Cake, written directly for the screen by Patrick Tobin and directed by Daniel Barnz, stars Jennifer Aniston as Claire, a bitter woman who has survived a car accident, which has killed her child and has left her with chronic pain. While attending a support group of women, Claire becomes fascinated with a woman named Nina, who also suffered with severe chronic pain, but committed suicide because of it and Claire decides to visit and befriend her grieving husband and son. Together they deal with their losses and try to become happier people. The film besides Aniston also stars Anna Kendrick as Nina, Sam Worthington, as Roy, Nina's husband, Adriana Barraza, as Silvana, Claire's maid and housekeeper, Felicity Huffman as Annette, Claire therapist, and a wonderful support cast of excellent actors.

The story starts with the support group of women who are trying to secure closure with the suicidal death of one of their members, Nina. Claire, who has scars from her accident all over her face, says that she applauds Nina because she did not make it easy with her suicide on the survivors. (She jumped off a freeway overpass and fell onto a flatbed truck of used furniture and was found in Mexico and shipped back in pieces in containers, which took weeks.).

Because of her pain, Claire cannot sit upright for any length of time and has to be driven around by taxi or by Silvana her maid where Claire will lie down flat to ease her pain. We are then taken through her day; she eats the meal prepared by Silvana, listens to some voicemails...one from Annette telling her that she needs to find a different support group as she is no longer welcome in the one she has been attending...and a second voicemail from her soon-to-be-ex-husband, who wants to come and pick up the remainder of his belongs when she will not be home.

Recognizing that she is almost out of her prescription pain pills and alone, she suffers through the night until she can no longer handle the pain and goes into her backyard pool for some relief. In the morning, Silvana drives Claire to the doctor's office for another prescription for her pain medication. Securing the necessary meds, Silvana drives her home and leaves while Claire seduces the pool man and has sex with him, paying him for services rendered with basket full of children's toys for his kids. Silvana has been waiting and takes the toys back to her home, hiding them with others she has in her closet that Claire has tried to give away.

It is here in the film that Claire begins to hallucinate and sees the dead Nina, who is lounging in a raft in Claire's pool. Nina taunts her, asking why she (Claire) does not kill herself considering she is atheist and doesn't believe in Heaven or Hell and then holds her head under water. Waking up from this nightmare, Claire goes to her water therapy and as she is with most people, she is difficult to say the least to her therapist Bonnie. Since there has been no improvement in over six months, Bonnie suggests that Claire find another water therapist to work with. After everyone leaves the pool, Claire tries unsuccessfully to kill herself like Virginia Wolff.

Having another nightmare, this time at the exact spot and during the day, Claire sees herself jumping off the same overpass that Nina did. Claire goes to the support group leader Annette and requests Nina's address, going to Nina's house, meeting her husband Roy. Running out of medicine again, she gets Silvana to take her to Tijuana to secure the drugs she needs to manage her pain. Having been caught at the border, Claire called her husband, who helped her to be released, but he wanted at least a thank you, which he did not receive. She was distraught and asked him to spend the night with her until she fell asleep. He agreed. Next morning, Claire was waiting at Nina's house. They hang out, going for a ride to the cemetery where he hangs a wind chime over Nina's grave. He admitted in a support group and then to Claire that he hated Nina for leaving him and their son. She then asks him to sleep with her, without sex, so that neither has to be alone. Finding a Billy Joel CD, she takes a cab to Roy's and gives him the CD, but actually raids Nina's medicine cabinet finding unused prescription medication. Roy and Nina's son returns home and finds Claire raiding the medicine cabinet. Driving in Roy's truck, the boy tells Claire that he wants a shark kite for his upcoming birthday. They stop at Nina's grave so that they can admire the hanging chimes.

It is here in the movie that we finally find out where Claire got the scars, the death of her little boy and the reason for her bitter attitude. Silvana invites Roy and his son to lunch, Claire apologizes to Bonnie, and she apologizes to Annette. The man who caused the accident shows up at Claire's door and she attacks him, refusing to forgive him for what he did. After Roy and his son leave, she overdoses and awakens with Silvana at her side in the hospital. She goes through withdrawals and has another hallucination of Nina with a cake.

After seeing a special on a drive-in theater in Riverside, Claire asks Silvana to take her to Riverside. While there, Silvana and Claire have an argument and the car is stolen. A young runaway girl tried to break into the rental car, but finds Claire lying in the back. She talks the young girl into coming back with them and making a yellow cake for Nina's son, but making it from scratch. This girl is paid $100 to do this, but steals Claire's purse. She delivers the cake to Roy along with a shark kite for his son's birthday. Then she goes to her son's.

Grave and hangs a wind chime just like Roy did for Nina. In a lot of pain, at the end of the film, she forces herself to sit upright in the passenger seat, appearing content.

The stars of the film are without a doubt Aniston and Barraza and their relationship. Aniston performance helps the audience believe that her character is in a lot of pain and possibly at a low point in her life. There is obviously a connection made between Roy and Claire, but not really a romance. The film through the actors performances does not ask that you feel sorry for Claire, but it can and does touch the hearts and minds especially for those who may have some similar experiences with loved ones. The film does deal with the everyday reality of those who suffer from depression with chronic pain.

The direction, camera work, visual effects, and acting were handled very well and added to the film. The dialog was just fair as was the introduction and use of the hallucination of Nina. I understand the need to use something to connect to Claire's overuse of drugs to not only handle her chronic pain, but the numbing of her emotional and mental state so she could deal somewhat with her everyday existence without her child. But the constant use of it was a bit annoying. Tough topic to film and deal with, but a good effort nonetheless. GRADE: 3 of 5 crowns.