You meet Claire Simmons in a Chronic Pain support group and even though the mood is morose and they are talking about one of their member committing suicide, it is a very funny scene. We all know about Jennifer Aniston's perfect comedic timing so it is no surprise to see her do so well here. However, this is definitely not the type of humor you are expecting from her. It's dark, it's sarcastic and it's, again, dark. But ever so funny. The first half of Cake is very intriguing as you are left completely in the dark and are just witnessing the pain and the struggle of Claire in the present. You don't know what happened to her and you don't know why she became the way she is: a bitch.I loved Jennifer's character. It was so layered and complex but at the same time so raw and direct. Claire is mean but that makes for the best dialogue and come backs ever. Because the character is so interesting, you would like to delve more into her past but you are stuck with her in a present she hates. She is not looking back, as you would hope, to reflect on the events that led her here, but she is not looking forward either and you are wondering when she, and you the viewer, will leave this limbo. Obviously the movie is paced the way it is so that you can relate to the character, and you do. It is, after all, a drama. To address her Oscar snub, I would just say that she did an amazing job in this movie and she should have been recognized for that. Perhaps the Academy needs a bit more time to get used to this level of acting from Jennifer Aniston. Who knows.
I didn't know that they gathered such a great cast for this movie and I was so happy to see Anna Kendrick as well as Sam Worthington. They are both great in Cake, especially Anna, who departs from her usual roles and plays a very convincing creepy and vicious role in Claire's life. Before going into this movie, I didn't know there was such a thing as chronic pain either and I didn't know why someone would commit suicide over this. I get the disease and I get why Claire is thinking about it when she - SPOILER ALTER - lost a child, but I still don't understand why Nina did it. I wish I had a bit more insight into her character as she was such a big part of the movie. You only learn about Claire's past towards the end and it all comes in little pieces, very well embedded into clever dialogue. In one of the last scene, I enjoyed Adriana Barraza's monologue in Spanish - she plays Claire's help/maid - where she basically has had enough with her boss' behavior and outlook. "You have so much beauty in your life. You want to kill yourself? Then kill yourself" is basically what she is saying. This was exactly at about that moment in the movie where I wanted to tell Claire the exact same thing. I have no compassion whatsoever for people who give up and people who take the easy way out. Life is so precious and is such a beautiful thing, it makes me extremely angry when people throw it away.
Throughout the movie, I wanted to understand her struggle and I wanted to know why she felt the way she did. And that's what the movie is ultimately about. Stepping into the shoes of someone who suffered so much they cannot move in any direction except down. It wasn't about understanding why Nina killed herself when she had the most amazing husband, a beautiful son and a great life. These are sometimes not enough. And sometimes someone who has none of those things, like Claire, can still see the hope and the value of life. I have had to deal with a similar situation when my sister attempted suicide several times and hurt herself. She had everything. She was beautiful, she was destined for a great career, she didn't have to endure any type of loss. And still, she wanted to remain in that downward spiral and ultimately die. That very much reminded me of Nina. And I am glad to see in Cake that someone who has much more to struggle with ends up choosing to fight for what should come naturally to all of us: living.
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