The Cake Eaters

The Cake Eaters is a 2007 American independent drama film about two small town families who must confront old issues with the return of one family's son.[1] The film was directed by Mary Stuart Masterson (in her feature film directorial debut) and stars Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, and Jayce Bartok. Kristen Stewart is featured as Georgia, a young girl with Friedreich's ataxia, a rare disease for which there is no cure.[2]

The Cake Eaters
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMary Stuart Masterson
Written byJayce Bartok
Produced byAllen Bain
Elisa Pugliese
StarringKristen Stewart
Aaron Stanford
Jayce Bartok
Bruce Dern
Elizabeth Ashley
Miriam Shor
CinematographyPeter Masterson
Edited byJoe Landauer
Colleen Sharp
Music byDuncan Sheik
Production
companies
Vinyl Foote Productions
The 7th Floor
Distributed by7-57 Releasing
Release dates
  • April 29, 2007 (2007-04-29) (Tribeca Film Festival)
  • March 13, 2009 (2009-03-13) (United States)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The Cake Eaters is a small-town, ensemble drama that explores the lives of two interconnected families coming to terms with love in the face of loss. Living in rural America, the Kimbrough family are a conflicted bunch: Easy, the patriarch and local butcher, is grieving over the recent loss of his wife, Ceci, while hiding a secret ongoing affair for years; Beagle, his youngest son who was left to care for his ailing mother, works in the local high school cafeteria by day but has a burning passion inside that manifests itself through painting street signs; and the eldest son, Guy, has been away from the family for years while pursuing his rock star dream in the big city until the day he learns of his mother's death and that he has missed the funeral.

Upon Guy's return home, relationships between the characters begin to unravel: Beagle's pent up emotions connect with Georgia Kaminski, a terminally ill teenage girl wanting to experience love before it is too late; Easy's long-time affair with Marg, Georgia's eccentric grandmother, is finally exposed to the Kimbrough children; and Guy discovers that in his absence his high school sweetheart, Stephanie, has moved on and started a family of her own. Consequently, The Kimbroughs and Kaminskis manage to establish new beginnings in facing their varied relationships.

Cast

Meaning of title

In an interview at the Austin Film Festival in 2007, Jayce Bartok, the movie's screenwriter, was asked about the title's meaning. Bartok is quoted as saying, "The Cake Eaters is a term I grew up with in Pennsylvania. My mom used to use it to describe those who had it made, had their lives mapped out for them, were the most likely to succeed… 'The Cake Eaters.' I thought it was an interesting metaphor for this group of misfits who begin the story searching and longing for love, trying to overcome grief, and through the course of the story… find their 'cake.' They find some love, happiness, peace…." The term was widely popularized as a quote from the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks.[3]

Production

Principal photography of this film began on May 2006 in New York.[4]

Release

The Cake Eaters opened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29, 2007, and made the rounds of the independent film circuit, premiering at various film festivals such as the Woodstock Film Festival, Lone Star International Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival.[5] It was eventually given a limited theatrical release on March 13, 2009, and debuted on DVD on March 24, 2009.

Critical reception

The Cake Eaters holds a "fresh" rating of 64% at Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews with an average rating of 6.01/10.[6] The site’s critics consensus reads, "Though light on theme and craftsmanship, The Cake Eaters relies on fine performances and brisk direction to provide an affecting tale of small-town life."[6]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave it three out of four stars, praised Masterson for a good debut.[7] Stephen Holden of The New York Times called it a "small, overcrowded ensemble piece" that is "elevated" by "superior acting" into "something deeper".[2] Other critics, such as Rex Reed of the New York Observer,[8] Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic,[9] and V.A. Musetto of the New York Post,[10] also gave favorable reviews, with Musetto, in particular, lamenting the fact that it had taken two years for the film to be released theatrically.[10]

Not all reception was positive however, with Erin Trahan of the Boston Globe,[11] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times,[12] and Aaron Hillis of Village Voice,[13] among others, giving it negative reviews. Goldstein, in particular, was sharply critical of what he described as "a bland ensemble drama with an unremarkable script."[12]

Awards

References
  1. "The Cake Eaters". www.thecakeeaters.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. Holden, Stephen (March 13, 2009). "The Cake Eaters". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  3. "The Cake Eaters". Open for Discussion. March 7, 2009.
  4. "Aaron Stanford And Kristen Stewart Are The Cake Eaters". May 15, 2006.
  5. "Sedona Film Fest 2008". Sedona Monthly Magazine. January 1, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  6. "The Cake Eaters (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  7. Ebert, Roger (March 11, 2009). "The Cake Eaters". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  8. Reed, Rex (March 10, 2009). "Twilight in the Catskills". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  9. Goodykoontz, Bill (March 13, 2009). "The Cake Eaters". Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  10. Musetto, V.A. (March 13, 2009). "You'll Eat Up This Intelligent Drama". The New York Post. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  11. Trahan, Erin (March 23, 2009). "The Cake Eaters is full of family issues". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  12. Goldstein, Gary (March 13, 2009). "Review: 'The Cake Eaters'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  13. Hillis, Aaron (March 10, 2009). "The Cake Eaters Offers Genuinely Sweet, Forgettable Indie Fodder". Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 10, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
  14. "Viny Foote | The Cake Eaters". Vinyl Foote. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  15. ""Ripple Effect," "The Flyboys" Take Top Feature Honors at Sedona Film Festival". Filmmakers.com. March 5, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  16. "iW NEWS | "Cake Eaters" Among Stony Brook Winners". IndieWire. July 28, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
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