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Blu-ray Review: CAKE

May 10, 2015 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston) is an angry, depressed woman who seems to alienate everyone in her life. An accident has left her with physical and emotional scars, chronic pain and a terrible loss in her life. It’s been a year since the accident, but she is still showing no signs of improvement. She has already pushed away her husband Jason (Chris Messina), and now her physical therapist Bonnie (Mamie Gummer) and support group leader Annette (Felicity Huffman) have also had enough of her. The only person who still supports Claire is her Mexican housekeeper-turned-caretaker Silvana (Adriana Barraza), who is on the verge of quitting herself—she can only take so much of Claire’s horrible attitude.

Claire used to be a lawyer, but now she just pops pain pills and lays around in bed or by her pool all day long, and she struggles daily with whether she should just end it all. She hallucinates conversations with the ghost of Nina Collins (Anna Kendrick), a woman from her support group who committed suicide. Nina usually encourages Claire to join her on the other side, so Claire decides to start a relationship with Nina’s widow Roy (Sam Worthington), hoping to learn more about Nina, and also to find some human connection that can give her the courage and a reason to live.

 

At first I found Claire to be quite abrasive and annoying, and wondered why Silvana was even still sticking by her. But over the course of the film, I got a greater understanding of what Claire was going through and why she kept pushing everyone away. We also get glimpses of what Claire was like before her accident, and that beyond tough outer shell, that sweet person is still inside of her somewhere. We also see that she does still love and respect Silvana, and is grateful for her care, even though she doesn’t always show it. One of my favorite moments of the film is when Claire and Silvana take a trip to Mexico, which leads to a very touching moment between the two characters.

While the film explores a lot of the dark depression and inner struggle that Claire is going through, it tempers this with some dark humor. While Nina often encourages Claire to end it all, she does so in a sarcastically humorous way. There is also a lot of humor in Claire’s general nastiness—she can be such a horrible, bitter person, that it just makes you laugh.

Jennifer Aniston gives a raw, emotional performance—you really get a sense of the pain, anguish and depression Claire is going through. It’s no wonder why she was nominated for so many awards for this role as she really bares her soul on the screen. While Aniston does have some fun moments—her character uses dark humor and sarcasm as a way to cope with her loss and pain—most of the humor comes from the talented and accomplished list of supporting cast members, most of whom have great on-screen chemistry with Aniston.

The Blu-ray’s video presentation captures every emotional detail of the character’s expressions, while the soundtrack nicely captures the score and dialogue. The bonus features are a bit lacking, consisting only of a digital copy of the film, plus 7 minutes of interviews with the cast and crew.

While I found the film more emotionally draining than humorous, it does ultimately leave the viewer on a more uplifting, hopeful note. It’s not a film I will find myself watching over and over again, but it’s certainly worth checking out for Aniston’s performance, and an honest look at the struggle some people go through dealing with loss and pain.




What’s Included:

Film: (1:41:45)

    Blu-ray:

    • 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
    • Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
    • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

    Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 4/21/2018):

    • Digital HD Copy redeemable via Flixster (UltraViolet), Google Play or Vudu (UltraViolet)

Extras:

  • The Many Layers of Cake: Learning to Live Again (3:33)
    Star Jennifer Aniston and the creators discuss the Claire’s chronic pain, and how they talked with people who have experienced this in order to give a more authentic portrayal and performance. Includes interviews with stunt coordinator Stacy Courtney (who experienced chronic pain after her own accident), director Daniel Barnz and producer Kristin Hahn.
  • The Icing on the Cake: Meet the Cast (3:26)
    The cast and creators talk about the premise of the film, and working with Jennifer Aniston. Includes interviews with director Daniel Barnz, producers Ben Barnz, Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton and Kristin Hahn, and cast members Jennifer Aniston (“Claire”), Felicity Huffman (“Annette”), Sam Worthington (“Roy”) and Anna Kendrick (“Nina”).
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:24)
  • Sneak Peek (9:44)
    Play All or select from trailers for Discover Digital HD, Wild, Black or White, She’s Funny That Way and Before I Go To Sleep.

 


Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Film:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Worth a Look

Jennifer Aniston gives an excellent, Oscar-worthy performance in this dramatic look at one woman’s struggle to deal with loss and pain. While the film was a bit too dark and emotionally draining for my taste, it does ultimately leave the viewer with a more uplifting message, and provides a very real, raw portrayal of what a person experiencing chronic pain and loss goes through. The Blu-ray presentation looks great, but the disc contains very minimal bonus features. However, the film is worth a look for Aniston’s strong performance.