Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- intimate
- affecting
- wistful
- quiet evening
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film affecting and briskly directed, with strong performances elevating an overcrowded and lightly developed small-town ensemble drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Georgia's Friedreich's ataxia motivates her determination to experience sexual intimacy while she still can.
Georgia and Beagle's relationship is paralleled by Guy and Stephanie's reunion and Easy and Marg's longstanding secret affair.
The Kaminski and Kimbrough families' lives repeatedly intersect through school, work, romance, and long-held secrets.
Georgia's illness and her wish to lose her virginity are handled as central dimensions of personal agency and emotional connection.
Films like The Cake Eaters, and why
Pieces of April
small-town ensemble drama combining illness, complicated family relationships, and understated romance
The Fault in Our Stars
affecting independent drama about young love, mortality, and emotionally difficult family dynamics
Junebug
intimate rural character drama centered on returning adults, unresolved romance, and family secrets
The Savages
ensemble relationship drama using illness and desire to explore vulnerability and connection
Movie Details
- Director
- Mary Stuart Masterson
- Release Date
- 2007-04-29
- Runtime
- 86 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (145)
Cast
- Kristen Stewart
- Aaron Stanford
- Bruce Dern
- Elizabeth Ashley
- Jayce Bartok
- Miriam Shor
- Talia Balsam
- Tom Cavanagh
- Melissa Leo
- Jesse L. Martin
Common questions
- What is The Cake Eaters about?
- In a close-knit rural town, a seriously ill teenager and a withdrawn young man pursue intimacy as two families confront buried love, regret, and changing futures.
- What is The Cake Eaters like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Cake Eaters as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Cake Eaters violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Cake Eaters.
- What did critics think of The Cake Eaters?
- Critics generally found the film affecting and briskly directed, with strong performances elevating an overcrowded and lightly developed small-town ensemble drama.
- Which films are like The Cake Eaters?
- Films with a similar feel include Pieces of April, The Fault in Our Stars, Junebug, and The Savages.
- How long is The Cake Eaters?
- The Cake Eaters runs 86 minutes.
