Friends Reunion 2014: Jennifer Aniston Breakthrough Performance in Cake Overcomes Bloated Screenplay

Friends Reunion 2014: Jennifer Aniston's newest movie "Cake" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. The film features a breakthrough performance from Jennifer Aniston as a 40-something woman named Claire, who was left with scars on her face and body and constant agony in her legs and back after a car crash in her new movie, Cake.  

Britains's The Guardian wasn't so thrilled, writing "Despite Aniston's diverting drab-act as a bitchy, suicidal woman in constant pain, this humdrum character study is sour and half-baked."
Indiewire wrote "thanks to a bloated screenplay from Patrick Tobin, and by-the-numbers direction from Daniel Barnz, "Cake" wallows in self-pity too much to sustain any true merit."

Jennifer Aniston says her performance in the new indi drama "Cake" was "beyond a dream role." Aniston told Variety that her character "basically has to decide whether she wants to live or die. The woman's journey is so heartbreaking but so uplifting, because she's gone through a trauma but maintains her wit, which is very endearing."

Aniston is still said to be the last holdout to a "Friends" reunion. But it looks like "Rachel" will be too busy. "Cake" is the first movie under the banner Cinelou Films, which linkup between Chinese TV producer Shenghua Entertainment and After Dark Films. They just signed a five-movie $50 million deal.

"Cake" director Daniel Barnz said the movie will be the first of 5 films in a $50 million deal made between After Dark Films and Shenghua Entertainment from China. "Cake" comes from a script by Patrick Tobin. The project is looking for a U.S. distributor.

Speaking about Jennifer Aniston, Director Daniel Barnz said "I've especially loved her more dramatic performances. I can't wait to watch her tackle a role that has such a brilliantly funny voice and so much raw pain. Of the zillions of Jennifer Aniston fans, I might be the biggest one of all. I've especially loved her more dramatic performances, and I can't wait to watch her tackle a role that has such a brilliantly funny voice and so much raw pain (hats off to writer Patrick Tobin). I'm honored to be collaborating with Ben, Kristin and Courtney, and it's exciting that Cake will be the first film under the Cinelou banner. It feels like we're all taking a leap of faith together, and that's pretty thrilling."

Aniston stars along with Anna Kendrick and Sam Worthington. Jennifer will play Claire Simmons, "a woman who becomes fascinated by the suicide of Nina, a woman in her chronic pain support class" who is "acerbic" and "hilarious. 

In the film Aniston plays a woman who deals with chronic pain but gets who's addicted to pills and booze. Aniston told Variety at the Toronto Film Festival that the chronic pain "was hard on my body for five weeks of shooting. I spent weekends seeing a chiropractor and getting massages and trying to maintain my sanity."