Plot
Two families are brought together by the return of one family's son -- a reunion that conjures up old ghosts and issues that must be addressed.

Release Year: 2007

Rating: 6.5/10 (3,321 voted)

Critic's Score: 60/100

Director: Mary Stuart Masterson

Stars: Elizabeth Ashley, Jayce Bartok, Bruce Dern

Storyline
'The Cake Eaters' is a quirky, small town, ensemble drama that explores the lives of two interconnected families coming to terms with love in the face of loss. Living in rural America, The Kimbrough family is a normally odd bunch; Easy, the patriarch and local butcher, is grieving over the recent loss of his wife, Ceci, while hiding a secret ongoing affair 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 from the family for years while pursuing his rock star dream in the big city until the day he learns of his mother's passing and that he's missed the funeral. Upon Guy's return home, relationships between the characters begin to unravel; Beagle's pent up emotions connect with Georgia Kaminski...

Cast:
Elizabeth Ashley - Marg Kaminski
Jayce Bartok - Guy Kimbrough
Bruce Dern - Easy Kimbrough
Miriam Shor - Stephanie
Aaron Stanford - Dwight 'Beagle' Kimbrough
Kristen Stewart - Georgia Kaminski
Talia Balsam - Violet Kaminski
Tom Cavanagh - Lloyd
Melissa Leo - Ceci Kimbrough
Jesse L. Martin - Judd
Avery Rak - Young Guy
Andrew George Jr. - Young Beagle (as Andrew George)
Dan McCabe - Teenage Boy #1
Conor Romero - Teenage Boy #2
Jeffrey Spiegel - Teenage Boy #3

Taglines: Love is the frosting.

Official Website: Official site |

Release Date: 13 March 2009

Filming Locations: Catskill, New York, USA

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the hairdresser Stephanie is kissing Guy, the tattoo encircling her upper arm is faded out towards its ends, an unmistakable sign of a temporary tattoo.

Quotes:
Marg: Hey Ease, I want to ask you something. Did you notice anything funny about the way your son was looking at my Georgia today?
Easy: Beagle? Oh, no m'am, that's just Beagle. He has absolutely no game in that area, trust me.

A Cake For All

Rating: 9/10

"The Cake Eaters" is so subtle a story and pleasing a film you won't notice how great it is until it is over. Much credit is due to Jayce Bartok, the screenwriter, as well as, Mary Stuart Masterson, the director, to fulfill the hearts of its characters while filling the souls of the audience. "Eaters" sweet subtleties meet heavy hearts touching on such powerful subjects as love, death, secrecy, adultery, disability, virginity, abandonment, and rebellion. With each character involved in one or more relationships: father/son, mother/daughter, grandmother/granddaughter, brothers; love: new, old, rekindled, exes; they are pulled apart at the seams, some almost to a breaking point, only to be shown how close they are.

At the heart of the story, in between all the eaters of cake, is Georgia, a young woman "living" with a rare genetic disorder that affects her mobility but not her spirit. Georgia is played wonderfully and with grace by Kristen Stewart ("Into the Wild"). Her performance is at the center of this story and is worthy of any if not all accolades (Oscar?). You find yourself so enmeshed in her ability to convince, that she makes "The Cake Eaters" truly magnificent.

As up-state New York sets the tone for the story it throws you back in time, maybe the 70's, while staying in the present. The film opens with footage of old home movies and settles nicely in a gray, rainy, folk art town, where everyone knows your name. And it sure seems nice to have been a part of it.

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