| My rating | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics | Audience | Critics | Audience | |
| 6/10 | 49/100 | 6,5/10 | 49% | 51% |
Every year, after the nominations for the Oscars are announced, there are people who don’t get the nominations even though all the critics and the audience were rooting for them (also called Oscar snubs). In 2015, the biggest Oscar snub reported by the media was Jennifer Aniston in the best actress category for “Cake.” I hadn’t seen the movie, so I couldn’t really comment about that, despite being a huge fan of hers.
So yesterday I finally watched it and I could understand what the fuss was all about. It’s clear to the audience that she dedicated herself completely to that role, giving up any kind of worries about her looks. Wearing no makeup and with the hair messed up thorough the movie, she plays Claire, a woman who attends a chronic pain support group and becomes fascinated by the suicide of another participant.
It’s not clear, at first, why Claire is so angry and depressed. It’s crystal clear, however, that she is in a lot of physical pain. Covered with scars in her face and body, she’s barely able to sit up, has difficulties to walk and is addicted to painkillers. Little by little we begin to understand more about her story and also about the other woman who killed herself and whose ghost haunts Claire’s dreams.
The movie itself is just okay. Besides Aniston’s performance and (lack of) make up, nothing really stands out. It was nice to see her in that type of role, though. It reminded me of when she did “The Good Girl” in 2002. After that she returned to romantic comedies, with the exception of “Friends with money” (2006).
Having said that, I don’t think hers was the best performance of the year. I think she should have been nominated instead of Felicity Jones for “The theory of everything”, but I don’t think she would have won anyway.
