Cake

Though Jennifer Aniston failed to secure an Oscar nod following a seemingly out-of-nowhere Golden Globe nomination for a film few had heard of, had she made the shortlist, her performance in Cake would have been right at home for her sensitive, touching portrayal of grieving painkiller addict Claire Bennett. Cake follows Claire on her path to recovery from a number of sloppily revealed ailments. Director Daniel Barnz apparently doesn’t trust his lead character to carry a narrative nor the audience to become invested in her; when things get slow, rather than go somewhere interesting, yet another unresolved issue from Claire’s past is revealed in a scene often capped by a semi-humorous yet bittersweet confrontation with her maid Silvana (the always underappreciated Adriana Barraza).Aniston’s performance shines through some of these issues, as does the film’s brightest spot, Silvana and her relationship with her employer. It is not always successful in steering away from maid-employer tropes, but Silvana is certainly not Claire’s magical, preternaturally wise ethnic savior. Rated R. At Osio Cinemas