Sitting in Bars with Cake is a delectable slice of laughs and cries
There’s a seemingly endless amount of movies based on books, and a shorter but not insignificant number of movies based on real life cooks. What I can’t recall ever seeing is a movie that was based on a cookbook. Better late than never! Sitting in Bars with Cake, the new dramedy based on Audrey Shulman’s autobiographical book, is a well-produced tearjerker with standout performances, a film perfectly fitting of its streaming platform release.
Based on true events, Sitting in Bars with Cake tells the story of Jane and Corinne, best friends, roommates, and coworkers living in Los Angeles. While Corinne is an extrovert with a boyfriend and a blossoming career at a talent agency, Jane is a hopeless romantic introvert on a path to law school. Her real passion, though, is baking.
The pair come up with a plan to bring Jane’s extraordinary cakes to 50 bars across Los Angeles in order to meet eligible bachelors. Part way through their project, Corinne is diagnosed with a brain tumor, leading the two to navigate an emotional rollercoaster of family, life’s expectations, and the value of friendship and pursuing one’s dreams.
If it all sounds a bit hokey, it is. True story though it may be, it is the type of heartbreaking plot you’d often find on the Hallmark Channel or in movies that start with the credit ‘Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks’. However, Sitting in Bars with Cake benefits from an Amazon budget (via MGM Studios). The Los Angeles bar locations – mostly real, if not just renamed – are beautifully shot and vibrantly utilized. The supporting characters are played by recognizable faces, including Ron Livingston and Bette Midler. Resources and care clearly were not spared in the production, which effectively elevates the movie’s sense of fun and drama.
While I don’t envision any Oscar nominations, Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish) as Jane and Odessa A’zion (Hellraiser) as Corinne are magnificent. A’zion, in particular, manages to naturally perform a full 360 degree transformation as Corinne, hitting all the right emotional beats with impressive charisma. Livingston and Martha Kelly (Euphoria), playing Corinne’s quirky Arizona-based parents, are perfectly cast, and add needed levity to the latter half of the movie. The first half of Sitting in Bars with Cake runs a little long and doesn’t include enough of the baking; meanwhile, the latter half also runs a little long and drags the drama. Both halves suffer a bit from redundancy, but that’s okay, because…
…Sitting in Bars with Cake is the ideal streaming title! You can watch it with tissues by your side and the availability of a convenient bathroom. Run-time matters less when you’re at home, and the over-extended sequences can withstand at-home distractions. This film would be lovely in a theater, but it’s not “intended” for a giant screen. It’s not only a good movie, but it’s right at your fingertips, so enjoy it and experience all the feelings it emits without shame, or even make it a movie night and bake a cake while you watch!
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Sitting in Bars with Cake is streaming on Amazon Prime on Friday, September 8th.
