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Aniston makes a bid for seriousness with 'Cake'

A wintry pall enshrouds even the sunniest Los Angeles locales in “Cake,” a drab, dramatically inert redemption story enlivened by a sharp performance by Jennifer Aniston.

This quiet, dressed-down turn shouldn't be considered much of a departure for the former “Friends” star, as she has already delivered similarly impressive performances in such indie films as “The Good Girl” and “Friends With Money.” Here, playing a deeply scarred woman coping with chronic pain, unresolved trauma and an alarming fascination with the suicide of an acquaintance, she proves that her comic gifts of timing and delivery serve her well, even in the direst of circumstances.

We meet Claire Bennett, Aniston's walking-wounded heroine, just as she's being kicked out of her chronic-pain support group for “anger issues.” Spiky, brutally frank and heavily addicted to a cocktail composed of Percocet and vodka, she could be Nurse Jackie's smart, sardonically inclined younger sister: a grimacing, darkly funny tell-it-like-it-izzer with the uncanny ability to get a bead on everyone except herself. She may possess a quick wit, but it's a biting one — figuratively and literally, when she spontaneously takes a household employee to bed after eyeing him working next to the pool.

“Cake” is structured as something of a mystery as far as the source of Claire's psychic and physical wounds, but viewers will suss out the situation within minutes. That could be a testament to Aniston's expressive talents, but it also suggests that screenwriter Patrick Tobin and director Daniel Barnz have created a schematic tale of overcoming grief and guilt that ultimately feels more calculating than genuinely bold or new, even with a few touches of magical realism.

The same goes for the series of encounters that spur Claire along a bumpy journey that veers between hope and self-annihilation, from her loyal, patient housekeeper (played with graceful authority by Adriana Barraza) to a handsome widower played by Sam Worthington.

“Cake's” supporting ensemble — including Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Anna Kendrick and Chris Messina — adds to the feeling that, more than anything else, this bleak, feel-good-ish exercise has been machined primarily as a vehicle for Aniston's bid for seriousness, a gambit that has paid off with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations. (She serves as an executive producer of the project.) There's no doubt that Aniston deserves more roles like this one but, with luck, in less maudlin, more surprising movies.

Claire (Jennifer Aniston) battles chronic pain and depression in "Cake."
Claire (Jennifer Aniston) bonds with a widower (Sam Worthington) in "Cake."

“Cake”

★ ½

<b>Starring:</b> Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, Adriana Barraza, Sam Worthington, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Chris Messina

<b>Directed by:</b> Daniel Barnz

<b>Other:</b> A Cinelou Films release. Rated R for language, substance abuse and sexual situations. 102 minutes

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