The Cake Eaters is a cleverly-titled independent drama from 2007. Directed by Fried Green Tomatoes actress Mary Masterson, the film spent two years in purgatory before finding a distributor. It was released in 2009, presumably to accompany Kristen Stewart's ascent to stardom.
It's unfortunate that we had to wait to so long. The film is an excellent evaluation of Stewart's success when picked for correct roles. Her off camera shenanigans have pointed to a tomboyish personality that Twilight's conservatism forces her to mask. I read a post on IMDb's page for New Moon in which one poster laments "Kristen doesn't portray Bella as wanting to be protected enough". I hate to argue in favor of that point, but alas, I will. The sexist gender role of Meyer's books is something Stewart isn't capable of doing successfully. All the films would be better if she were the one protecting Edward or if another person were Bella.
We don't quite get that kind of tailored movie here, but it's a good example of either a director noticing someone's talent or just sheer luck. For the first time, we see Stewart take the active role in a romantic film. Her character, Georgia, is a teenager with a nerve disorder that slurs her speech and causes her to limp. She has lingering anxiety about her virginity. Life would be so much easier if she could find a boy or man for that special deflowering service.
She finds a candidate while at a flea market with her mother. He's a milquetoast late twenty-something guy who happens to be her neighbor. The lad is so loyal to his family that he's earned the nickname "Beagle". He qualifies for her because he lives nearby and isn't unattractive. He even works as a cafeteria server at her high school and his father is having an affair with her grandmother.
The film has a refreshingly objective view of adolescent sexuality. Beagle is violating social law by eventually sleeping with an underage girl, yet, she is the one who encourages him. She is probably at least five years younger than he yet more emotionally mature. She's willing to cut her hair and wear a sexy outfit to seduce him. He does not have to like her and maybe he doesn't. The next boy will have to do that. He is at first reluctant to indulge in the best of life's pleasures, but thankfully he does.
Beagle's father has visited another woman for most of his married life and could not reconcile his shame to be with his wife while she was dying. He now sits back and watches his son do something unethical, unlawful, and moral. Neither he nor his partner has the authority to stop the relationship. Georgia's mother tries to, fails, and the elderly watch history repeat itself as their brood romance in the same motel their ancestors did so many years ago. The two young people wake up and go to school the next day. Do they love each other? I'm not able to answer. Each got what he or she wanted from the other and brought redemptive justice to his or her older relative. And the reviewer who observed the film enjoyed it. He got to see a frank film about a subject so whitewashed in traditional romantic cinema or the films of his contemporary actresses.
Recommend
It's unfortunate that we had to wait to so long. The film is an excellent evaluation of Stewart's success when picked for correct roles. Her off camera shenanigans have pointed to a tomboyish personality that Twilight's conservatism forces her to mask. I read a post on IMDb's page for New Moon in which one poster laments "Kristen doesn't portray Bella as wanting to be protected enough". I hate to argue in favor of that point, but alas, I will. The sexist gender role of Meyer's books is something Stewart isn't capable of doing successfully. All the films would be better if she were the one protecting Edward or if another person were Bella.
We don't quite get that kind of tailored movie here, but it's a good example of either a director noticing someone's talent or just sheer luck. For the first time, we see Stewart take the active role in a romantic film. Her character, Georgia, is a teenager with a nerve disorder that slurs her speech and causes her to limp. She has lingering anxiety about her virginity. Life would be so much easier if she could find a boy or man for that special deflowering service.
She finds a candidate while at a flea market with her mother. He's a milquetoast late twenty-something guy who happens to be her neighbor. The lad is so loyal to his family that he's earned the nickname "Beagle". He qualifies for her because he lives nearby and isn't unattractive. He even works as a cafeteria server at her high school and his father is having an affair with her grandmother.
The film has a refreshingly objective view of adolescent sexuality. Beagle is violating social law by eventually sleeping with an underage girl, yet, she is the one who encourages him. She is probably at least five years younger than he yet more emotionally mature. She's willing to cut her hair and wear a sexy outfit to seduce him. He does not have to like her and maybe he doesn't. The next boy will have to do that. He is at first reluctant to indulge in the best of life's pleasures, but thankfully he does.
Beagle's father has visited another woman for most of his married life and could not reconcile his shame to be with his wife while she was dying. He now sits back and watches his son do something unethical, unlawful, and moral. Neither he nor his partner has the authority to stop the relationship. Georgia's mother tries to, fails, and the elderly watch history repeat itself as their brood romance in the same motel their ancestors did so many years ago. The two young people wake up and go to school the next day. Do they love each other? I'm not able to answer. Each got what he or she wanted from the other and brought redemptive justice to his or her older relative. And the reviewer who observed the film enjoyed it. He got to see a frank film about a subject so whitewashed in traditional romantic cinema or the films of his contemporary actresses.
Recommend