(Untitled)

[ashe_frost]

The Cake Eaters DVD is out today. I got mine at Best Buy for 14.99. The DVD includes: deleted scenes, cast interviews, commentary (from Jayce and MSM), and behind the scenes footage, and the totally non-Freudian tag line of "Love is the frosting." That's pretty pimped out for an indie film DVD

Comments

[camimax]

I really think I need to see the film a second time before I can truly evaluate it. There were moments when it felt disjointed and I haven't figured out where that came from. That said, here are some single-viewing comments.

It was a sweet, intimate film. The focus on characters was exactly what was needed since the ensemble cast cut down on screen minutes per character. The focus allowed the characters to (mostly) develop into fully fleshed identities that engaged this viewer's emotions.

Stanford's performance was outstanding. His body language, in particular, provided empathic depth to the character. The movie showcased his chameleon abilities as an actor (his ability to embrace a role to the depths if his soul and to make totally disparate characters equally believable, at least per my observations). One of the scenes that stood out in my mind was when he was walking down the road. I couldn't help but compare it to a scene in "Traveler," where Will is walking down a road. The body language differences are so extreme, a casual observer would never realize the two characters were played by the same person. Another comparison that came to mind was the shy, sexually-insecure-almost-to-the-point-of-dysfunctional Beagle to swaggering, sex god Brett Chandler (in Numb3rs).

One thing I wished the movie had explained in regard to Stanford's character was the background behind his sexual insecurity. He was well able to stand his ground with his father and brother, so it wasn't a case where the character was insecure in general.

I didn't know what to expect from Stewart--I think I've only seen her in "Panic Room"--so her abilities took me totally by surprise. She was very good in a difficult, complex, demanding role. Stern and Ashley gave impeccable performances, as I would expect from both of them. They were low key, smooth as expensive and aged whiskey, as comfortable as snuggly house slippers.

While the Beagle-Georgia storyline involved some suspension of credulity (for me) given the inexperience of both characters, Georgia's motivation overcame the majority of my disbelief, and Beagle's sweet, uncertain sincerity kept it from ever sinking into the tawdry.

An element of the movie that didn't at all work for me was the supposed class difference between the two families. Maybe it's my lack of experience with small town social hierarchy, but I saw both families as lower middle class, so Marg's comment that Beagle was "white trash" and not good enough for her granddaughter caught me by surprise. I never saw Marg and her family as superior to Easy's. At times Marg is crude and bawdy. She sells pictures of her adolescent granddaughter in various states of undress at a flea market, and apparently accepts her daughter's interracial relationship (marriage? I wasn't sure about that). She never came across as someone from a higher social standing than Easy.

I've not yet seen the extras to comment on them.

I hope others will share their views of the film.