The Cake Eaters (2007)

Two families are brought together by the return of one family's son -- a reunion that conjures up old ghosts and issues that must be addressed.

Director:

Mary Stuart Masterson

Writer:

Jayce Bartok (screenplay)

Stars:

Elizabeth Ashley, Jayce Bartok, Bruce Dern

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Marg Kaminski
Jayce Bartok	...	Guy Kimbrough
Bruce Dern	...	Easy Kimbrough
Miriam Shor	...	Stephanie
Aaron Stanford	...	Dwight 'Beagle' Kimbrough
Kristen Stewart	...	Georgia Kaminski
Talia Balsam	...	Violet Kaminski
Tom Cavanagh	...	Lloyd
Melissa Leo	...	Ceci Kimbrough
Jesse L. Martin	...	Judd
Avery Rak	...	Young Guy
Andrew George Jr.	...	Young Beagle (as Andrew George)
Dan McCabe	...	Teenage Boy #1
Conor Romero	...	Teenage Boy #2
Jeffrey Spiegel	...	Teenage Boy #3

Storyline

'The Cake Eaters' is a quirky, 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 is a normally odd 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 passing and that he's 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's too late; Easy's long ...

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Plot Keywords:

mistress | ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship | photographer | handicap sex | loss of mother | 

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Taglines:

For everything we lose... there's someone we find

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and sexual material involving a teen

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doces Encontros

Filming Locations:

Catskill, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

57th & Irving Productions, 7th Floor, The, Vinyl Foote Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 100 min (European Film Market)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the hairdresser Stephanie is kissing Guy, the tattoo encircling her upper arm is faded out towards its ends, an unmistakable sign of a temporary tattoo.

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Quotes

Marg: Hello rock star.
Georgia: You like it?
Marg: Your mama's gonna kill me.

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Soundtracks

"Concrete Bed"
Written by Matthew Caws (as Mathew Caws), Daniel Lorca and Ira Elliot
Performed by Nada Surf
Courtesy of Barsuk Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Pointless - the difference between subtlety and vague

Its been said this movie is a portrayal of reality and that its unresolved end and almost complete lack of meaning is the whole point cos "life is like that". You could think that, or you could also think that the director has made a movie that doesn't connect, delivers no meaning and because of that is ultimately pointless.

You see I'm not watching life, I'm watching a movie, and yes we like movies to be insightful and accurate, but this movie trundles out some well worn clichés and so pulling out the "its a slice of life" card just doesn't wash.

Yes Kristen Stewart delivers a believable performance as a 15 year old girl with a terminal illness. I'm assuming it's believable cos she looked pained and terminal but I've no idea if it was an accurate portrayal of the disease she was supposed to have.

They've also got a lead guy role with a funny name (beagle) and an assortment of slightly cliché small town characters and by the end of the movie you wonder, "yeah, and what, what's your point, what are you trying to say?" all that set up for no delivery.

Kirsten's character wanted to try sex and had no compassion for the guy she chooses to try it with, she doesn't care how he feels. Nice set up, but why?

The dads relationship, the other son's issues, what's your point? Was there one in the script and the director failed to convey it?

The comments here read like friends and fans of the director. There's a difference between subtlety and just plain vague. Parts of this movie were painted in obvious strokes so it would appear that was the directors style (and not one that I like), so why is there no point, maybe she didn't have one to begin with. Why fill your movie with cliché's like the dad and the elder son, the hussy grandma, the small town girlfriend that got left behind? If you're going to be subtle then be it.