Some of the critical reaction to Jennifer Aniston’s performance in Cake has been a bit puzzling. There seems to have been a lot of surprise at her ability to play it straight in a downbeat drama. Those of us with longer memories will recall an almost exact same reaction to The Good Girl 13 years ago.
The truth is that she is a fine actress – her roles in romantic comedies are often dismissed but comedic performances are just as hard to get right as dramatic ones – and this latest film from budding director Daniel Barnz emphasises that. She plays Claire, a chronic pain sufferer, who has become addicted to prescription painkillers whilst struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of the accident that caused her injuries.
Cake is very well structured by Barnz. By slowly revealing the back story, rather than laying it all out at the start, he keeps the story more compelling. Combined with the realistic, muted, cinematography by Rachel Morrison, a sombre, but suitable mood is created. It was a brave decision by Barnz and screenwriter Patrick Tobin to make Claire a hard person to like, but they also provide enough glimpses of her humour and even compassion, for you to end up rooting for her.
Aside from Aniston’s terrific performance, the other actor who catches the eye is Adriana Barraza as her loyal but long suffering maid, Silvana. The scenes of their trip to Mexico to secure some more drugs are amongst the film’s highlights. The rest of the supporting cast contains a lot of talent – William H. Macy, Mamie Gummer, Anna Kendrick, Felicity Huffman, and Lucy Punch – though they have little opportunity to impress. The other main character Roy, Claire’s late friend Nina’s husband, is played by Sam Worthington who is a little bland in the part.
Nicely paced, and ending at just the right point with some of the loose ends left untied, there is a lot more to this film than the excellent central performance.
Rating: 8 out of 10