Such a frustrating disappointment

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

If you have every known someone who was badly injured in an accident or lost someone, you will probably relate to the subject matter of this film. Someone close to me was badly injured in a car accident, and I remember how difficult it could be to watch her deal with severe depression, physical pain, and humiliation throughout her recovery process. There were times when I just wanted her to pretend to be getting better because it could be so draining to watch her cry, curse, shut down, and think about death and blame. Jennifer Aniston does a very good job portraying all these different aspects of the recovery process. There's the physical pain, the abusive language towards others - even the ones who care for her, and the blame and self-harm. Some might describe her as a "bitch" but pay attention and think about things from her perspective.As a fan of Six Feet Under, I enjoyed the hallucinations of the suicide victim and the dark humor in those scenes. I also enjoyed the development of a friendship with the suicide victim's husband. It felt well-paced and believable. Most of all, I liked the friendship between Claire and her maid. The subject matter may be a bit depressing for some, but if you enjoy a good character study and are even the slightest bit interested in the perspective of a person dealing with severe trauma, I would recommend this film. It might even help you deal with a similar situation or that of a loved one.

As a chronic pain sufferer myself I was a little disappointed to slightly angry with this movie. With all the challenges chronic pain sufferers are going through at this time, this movie makes sufferers out to be drug seeking, illegal doing, grouches that do nothing but deal with pain. Not an image we need right now! I take care of my kids, do housework and errands. Go out with friends and live everyday like it may be my last. Yes I'm in pain but I won't let it control me and I only take what is prescribed to me. The movie itself was well done but I really am afraid it will stereotype pain sufferers.

The main thing Cake really has going for it would be the strength of Aniston's performance. She's already proved her solid comic timing in Friends and the stream of so-so romcoms that followed. Here, she uses comedy to heighten the drama and heartache of her caustic character. She makes it an uncomfortable watch, as you genuinely believe she's in pain throughout the film.Unfortunately, the screenplay lacks a coherent sense of direction; the scenes featuring Anna Kendrick's character constantly feel like a distraction, like moments that simply get in the way of the story, and and the film really wasted its opportunity as one of the few films covering the topic of chronic pain by bumbling into yet another film about grief. However, it does give Aniston some wicked one-liners, and a few scenes are very moving indeed.

Cake follows a woman who is obsessed by the death of a woman in her support group. It's a bleak tale with little light and shade as Jennifer Aniston tries to overcome her demons. I thought that Aniston did an OK job in her role but it really is just a one tone performance. The supporting cast don't really add a lot to the story and it all becomes a little tedious. I don't mind slow moving movies as long as their is some pay off but sadly I didn't get anything from this film. It doesn't go anywhere and just left me feeling empty. Unless you are in the mood to be left as depressed at the character in the film, I'd skip this one.