Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Movies

Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
Best / Worst of the Decade

Wide Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Limited Releases
Now In Theaters

sort by namesort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Cake Eaters, The

EMAILPRINT57th & Irving Productions

Cake Eaters, The reviews
60
5.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >

Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Jayce Bartok

Directed by: Mary Stuart Masterson

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 13, 2009

Running Time: 95 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Kristen Stewart, Aaron Stanford, Bruce Dern, and Elizabeth Ashley

Living in rural America, The Kimbrough family is a normally odd bunch; Easy, the patriarch, owns a butcher shop and finds himself grieving over the loss of his wife, Ceci, while hiding a secret ongoing relationship 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 pursuing his musical aspirations. Upon Guy’s return home, the complex nature of each character unravels; 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 time affair with Marg, Georgia’s eccentric grandmother, is exposed to the Kimbrough family; and Guy discovers that, in his absence, his high school sweetheart, Stephanie, has moved on and started a family of her own. Through it all, The Kimbroughs and Kaminski’s manage to establish a new beginning in the face of their greatest fears; truthfulness, intimacy, the afterlife, and family. (57th & Irving Productions)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Masterson, like many actors, is an assured director even in her debut; working with her brother Pete as cinematographer, she creates a spell and a tenderness and pushes exactly as far as this story should go.

Read Full Review >
75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

With so much junk cluttering movie houses, it is a shame that it took two years for this sweet, intelligent drama to get a release before heading for DVD.

Read Full Review >
75

Chicago Tribune Michael Esposito

In her first feature film, Masterson creates a slice of life that is very believable (especially if you've ever seen "The Jerry Springer Show") and often endearing.

Read Full Review >
70

Variety Ronnie Scheib

A vibrant, unpretentious small-town tale.

Read Full Review >
60

Village Voice Aaron Hillis

There's no kind of wonderful in Mary Stuart Masterson's directorial debut, yet however slight her ensemble drama--about two distressed families in the Rockwellian framings of time-forgotten rural America--maybe, it's at least convincing in its genuine sweetness.

Read Full Review >
60

The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis

The story is certainly predictable, but it contains just enough conflict and drama to engage the viewer.

Read Full Review >
60

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Superior acting elevates a small, overcrowded ensemble piece set in rural upstate New York into something a little deeper and truer than the mawkish disease-of-the-week movie it threatens to become.

Read Full Review >
60

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

This is not, frankly, a movie you'll remember long after you see it. But it has just enough moments of genuine intimacy to indicate that Masterson ought to give directing another try.

Read Full Review >
50

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Jayce Bartok--who plays Stanford's irresponsible musician brother--wrote the screenplay, whose central story of doomed young love gets lost amid the overplotting.

Read Full Review >
50

Los Angeles Times Gary Goldstein

A bland ensemble drama with an unremarkable script that somehow inspired actress Mary Stuart Masterson to make her feature-directing debut. The material doesn't serve her well -- and vice versa.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 5.1 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

javad s gave it an8:
This movie was wonderful. I really liked it , i was kind of immersed in the storyline, three different love stories related to three different life periods. the all cast was amazing, especially Kristen Stewart and Aaron Stanford.

M M gave it a0:
The WORST movie I've seen in a long time! We laughed all the way through it and it's not a comedy. The eating scenes ... I mean ALL scenes were eating scenes and were just nauseating. Bruce Dern even dropped scrambled eggs out of his mouth while talking at breakfast. Everything was awkward - the camera angles were terrible during the "love" scene. The "meat" references were plentiful and we even thought some savvy film crew member added some secret "getting your meat on" messages via refrigerator magnets at the end of the movie. YUCK! The whole movie was terrible and grossed me out! Note: You don't need eating or nauseating awkward sex scenes in EVERY scene if you have a plot to the movie! I can't think of one redeeming feature of this movie, except we got to laugh in derision throughout. Laughing is good for you, they say.

Leif D gave it a3:
Kristen Stewart delivers a compelling performance as a terminally ill teen is this otherwise lackluster film. Stewart's portrayal is first rate and deserving of award nominations but will likely be overlooked due to the overall reception of this sleeper. Apart from Stewart's character, everyone else in the film remains two dimensional and uninteresting, never earning the respect of the audience or even the other characters.

Jay H gave it a4:
This movie bored me to death. It's filled with characters I couldn't care less about or what happens to them. I just wanted to movie to end. Painfully slow. The acting is mixed. Jumbled direction. Skip dessert this time.

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use