Jennifer Aniston had the difficult task of promoting her latest film, Cake, during the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The difficulty was that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had just gotten married. Aniston solved her PR problem by wearing a see-through top with no bra and getting her publicist to encourage lots and lots of Oscar talk. Cake got decent reviews at TIFF and People Mag (and other outlets) dutifully claimed that Aniston could be a legit Oscar contender this year. The problem? Cake didn’t pick up an American distributor at TIFF. More than a month passed, and still no distributor. What happened next is very interesting:
After the dark comedy Cake set tongues wagging at Toronto about Jennifer Aniston’s performance, there has been speculation that the film’s makers would capitalize on that momentum by putting the movie out before year’s end to qualify for Oscar consideration. Cinelou Films’ producers Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon have launched a new prestige arm in Cinelou Releasing, and they have set Cake as their first film. The pic will have a one-week qualifying run in December before rolling out in January. Canton, Kristin Hahn and Ben Barnz produced with Solomon.
“When my life and producing partner Ben Barnz and I first read Cake just fourteen months ago, we knew we had to go to Jennifer Aniston. It was the most obvious un-obvious choice – she’s mega-talented, but we’ve never seen the whole range of her extraordinary comic and dramatic abilities showcased in one role,” said director/EP Daniel Barnz.
Cinelou Releasing will launch up to four films over the next year, and you can belatedly add this to all of the rising distribution companies that made statement transactions at Toronto. The label has a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures to handle international distribution for six of its films over the next three years. “We congratulate Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon on their new company,” said Warner Bros. International Distribution president Veronika Kwan Vandenberg. “We look forward to our upcoming international collaborations with them beginning next year with Cake.”
“Having a U.S. distribution arm was always part of our strategy to be in control of the creative, marketing and financial results of our films,” said Solomon. “We were very pleased with how Cake turned out and are excited about all the opportunities the film presents on multiple levels…Cinelou was formed to produce brave, bold and interesting films that both challenge and showcase talent.”
Said Canton: “We’re very proud and excited that our new distribution banner will allow Cake to be released with the same passion and commitment that went into making the film.”
This is interesting on two levels. One level, the level that people are reacting to right now, is that Aniston is making a play for an Oscar campaign. Aniston and her people want to launch something centered around her performance. Will she end up getting a nomination? Doubtful. She might end up with a Spirit Award nomination though. The other level of interest is what was happening behind the scenes to even get this film distributed in America. It honestly sounds like NO ONE wanted to distribute it at all and Cinelou had to pull their new distribution arm together within the last month, just to push Cake… and Jennifer Aniston.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Aniston, KStew, and Channing may all get nominated this year. Let that marinate in your brain for a moment, friends…
Tater having a chance is what’s right with the world.
Look, I love the Charming Potato more than I love my own family, but if he and KStew both get nominated we all owe Ashton Kutcher a spa basket because we done did get Punk’d.
I’ll be expecting a spa basket from you come January 15 (Hint: I love earthy scents)
Tater will be nominated
#nodisrespecttomichaelkeaton
I’m getting you a basket of baby otter candles that smell like Swift spirit.
Oh my god, you guys, “Tater” and “Charming Potato”? Thank you for making my day.
The horror, Abbott!!!
If any of these people win, I’m joining Al Quaeda.
*Comment Flagged for terrorism.*
Not for the Al-Qaeda reference, but for the idea that any of those people will win.
I cannot sanction your buffoonery, Kiddo.
Damn! Used it before I could.
ETA: *Standing up and giving you a hate hug*
Actually, having seen both Camp X-Ray, and The Foxcatcher (TIFF) (as well as other films from both Tatum and Stewart). Let me just say Tatum was everything in that film. Jaw droppingly good – out of Carell, and Ruffalo, who were perfect, he held his own, and even surpassed. He was the glue. Stewart likewise, got praise for not only Camp X-Ray, but raves at Cannes for Clouds of Sils Maria, and more raves for Still Alice w/Julianne Moore. The only real surprise for me was Tatum, I had no idea he was that good.
I’d say no one should be surprised by either Stewart or Tatum getting a nomination…now. They’ve been growing, maturing and challenging themselves.
Aniston however. Sigh. Not only does she not belong even in the grouping of people who can ‘surprise,’ as you’ve done here, but it’s just all so typically calculated and manipulative re her PR flack and other machinations. Even the way in which this film finally picked up a distributor, which someone on another forum says is being financed by Aniston herself! She seems incapable of just doing things that interest her, and in which she can stretch and grow in a normal way. She seems to always want to short-cut it, and wants people to bequeath her this or that, just because her press guy demands outlets like Huffpo put words like “Oscar buzz!” or phrases like, “Jen, as you’ve never seen her before!!” on their sites in an illegitimate way. It’s all so phoney and desperate. You really feel like her press people are like trying to get her something/anything that will allow her to save face now, since no one was at all interested coming out of TIFF. It’s just sad, uncomfortable and even slightly disturbing.
@Pookah….Agree with everything you have said about Anniston. Her whole career is PR. Maybe, if the Oscars had a category for celebrity with the best publicist, then and only then, would Ms. Anniston win…and even then it’s iffy!
The thing is, I don’t want to fuel the fires re fans speculating on the triangle coattailing, but to me it’s so gd OBVIOUS, lol – why does it always seem she tries to do something/anything in the years in which Brangelina are coming to the party (party being award season)? Now I know B&A get invited to the party a lot — so maybe she can’t avoid not being dragged into the triangle, but it does seem like she and her PR go all out with this nonsense when she knows they will most likely be there -be it dragging her douche of the week (last time it was John Mayer) with her to present (with someone else) ‘best key grip in a short,’ or trying to manufacture ‘buzz’ so she can at least score an invite to present at a ceremony they’re scheduled to attend/be nominated at (to me it smells like they’re trying to scare up a GG comedy nod moreso than Indie Spirits, just because the GGs can be bought by high powered flacks). I think that’s her low bar goal, pathetically enough. It’s like they’ve figured out that her press reached saturation point and interest level only when Brad and Angelina are also in the mix. Think about it – does anyone think this ridiculousness would be tolerated in a year where they were around to play evil foil to ‘poor Jen’ in the subconsciousness of many?
I feel really sorry for Julianne Moore – she’s been at this game, getting nod after nod after nod, never winning, working her azz off for years, while her PR flack, who she shares with Aniston, neglects her to wipe Aniston’s a$$. It’s always been the way, i.e., Moore will have some great performance garnering REAL buzz, while her own PR flack leaks items to rags about ‘showdown at the oscars between John Mayer and Brad,’ lmao.
This year Moore has not one, but 2 possible Oscar buzz movies, but look at what lame is getting the press with obligatory ‘Brange’ foiling in the articles. I know it HAS to disgust her on several levels. When I saw Maps to the Stars at TIFF, and saw the character Moore was playing (a ditzy superfical shallow neurotic washed up middle aged blonde actress/celeb into yoga/pilates/self help books, who’s been famous for eons and literally is so pathetically desperate for roles that might possibly bring her back and garner ‘buzz’ that she cheers when her imagined rival’s toddler son is killed before crucial filming starts, meaning she has to drop out — so that means she might score the role herself) – I couldn’t help but think Moore was basing her character on Aniston.
I think you’re seriously underestimating Jennifer Aniston. I’m not saying that she’s getting a nomination but I watched Good Girl the other day and I was really impressed with the intensity of her performance. I think she has the potential to surprise people in the same way that Matthew McConnaughey did with Dallas Buyers Club.
Thats a whole lot of feeling you got going there Pookah. Is it ever this serious?
Grant, no one else believes Aniston has that potential. She’s been given too many breaks (many of them sympathy breaks) to come through as something more than a tv sit-com persona and failed. Comparing her to McConaughey who actually started out as a respected film actor, is laughable.
Matthew was recognized as a talented dramatic actor (see A Time to Kill, Amistad, U-571) before he began his silly, ‘I’ll just try making lots of money’ turn as a rom com king/beach bum in his real life spare time.
He got serious, grew up and went back to his dramatic roots which had earned him accolades at the start of his career.
Now, please tell me what part of MM’s journey, resembles Aniston, other than the terrible rom com part. Aniston is more akin to Ray Romano – started out in tv sit-coms, went on to do films to no great acclaim. Except the difference there is Ray had his own long running successful show, named for him, and his Ice Age movies always kill at the box office. Aniston can’t even say that.
Also to Jane, I like films, I like the film industry, I know about PR b.s., and I like talking about it — there’s nothing ‘serious,’ about any of it, except the way in which you obviously don’t like my take. I mean really what’s it to you if strangers on the internet want to ramble. Grow up.
I don’t like PR machinations, and I don’t like no talents who employ them. Just because she might be your ‘idol in momjeans & hairdos,’ that doesn’t mean I can’t discuss her failed pathetic strategy to be more. It’s a hobby of mine.
Oh Pookah, I agree with everything you said. You have described Aniston to a T. I am constantly asking who designed the $1 million engagement ring she wears? No one ever comes forward to take credit. The Good Girl is often mentioned as the break through film for Aniston giving an astounding performance. People, get a grip. How long ago was that? And Pookah, I do agree always with her timing and passive-aggressive stalking of the J-Ps. Maybe her performance is “Oscar worthy” in Cake just because she wore no makeup and put on a fake scar. But that doesn’t mean she is Oscar worthy or should even be nominated.
At this point Aniston acts because she wants that actor publicity/lifestyle. IMO anyways. The bulk of her wealth comes from being a seed investor and part owner in a few successful companies. And realestate.
She doesn’t need to act and no one sees a film because she’s in it. It’s up to the stars to carry her performance if the movie is to see any success.
She’s like an aging starlet hoping to relive herr glory days instead of moving forward into a new part of her life. She’s so great at investing and flipping. Embrace it.
I was at TIFF and let me say I fully agree with pookah. Tatum and Stewart were excellent -Imo, of the top best performances of the year- and deserve the Oscar talk.
With Aniston, the film is mediocre -Lifetime common place- and while Aniston is O.K., she’ll need a lame ass weak year to be an Oscar contender. Even as an Aniston’s project, Adriana Barraza was mentioned by almost of the reviews as the real MVP and overshadow Aniston in key scenes. So, unless the stars-w*res HFPA want a triangle Aniston-Pitt-Jolie, Aniston will spend resources with zero results.
pookah — Thanks for your insightful analysis, particularly about Julianne Moore. I too love films and typically rush out to see the “award contenders” on opening weekend. So this is my favorite season for movie watching. I follow industry news in general and award season in particular and have been watching how the “game is played” for years. I’ve been pulling for Julianne Moore ever since her first Oscar nod in Boogie Nights nearly 20 years ago!! She is the quintessential film actress.
After this year’s TIFF, I was sickened by Huvane’s full-court PR press for Aniston’s Cake (which failed to get a distributor at the festival AND was met with lackluster reviews), while Huvane’s other client (Moore) had TWO films, which secured distribution deals at TIFF, AND were being highly touted as Oscar worthy performances throughout the entire festival. It’s like Huvane just hung the one with the talent out to dry!! I just don’t get it. I really don’t. And this kind of crap just makes me dislike Aniston even more because you see the ones like Moore who’ve been working hard at this FOR YEARS creating a solid resume of outstanding work and then Aniston comes along and gets to cut to the front of the line because she wants an Oscar. It’s just infuriating.
This article is full of sh!t, Huvane and Oxymorons!!
A) how you have a great amazing provocative Dark comedy that could be Oscar contender that FAILS at luring distributors ffs?!?
B) “we knew it had to go to Aniston..she’s the most Obvious non Obvious choice??”
I want Huvane to fire whichever underling wrote that
Given she once made a comment such as ‘he thinks thoughts’, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wrote it herself.
Ha! I can see it now. Aniston at her computer. Brow furrowed in concentration. Cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a giant margarita in her hand. “Thinking thoughts” about how she should word the press release.
Whilst I agree with everything you wrote, i’ll quibble with point A.
Distribution and Oscar have different agendas. A film can be great and not find distribution. Happens all the time. Happens to many films at festivals, even ones with a name star like Jennifer.
You sit through so many films at festivals that are fantastic, but they have no commercial potential. That always makes me sad.
I will agree that Jennifer Aniston and Oscar is a dream in Huvane and Kristin Hahn’s mind. Don’t forget Hahn is Jennifer’s friend. I seem to remember her name popping up as Jennifer’s producing partner on GOREE GIRLS.
Some of the best films I’ve seen did not get major distribution even though the critics really liked it. The worth of a film has nothing to do with distribution, it has a lot to do with money. There’s a lot of sh*tty films on cinemas that should not be there at all, but there’s a machine behind that pushes it.
What’s happening with Goree Girls?
That project sounds even more intriguing than Cake.
I can understand that–because I’ve seen SO MANY shitty movies, and I’m wondering how the f-ck they even got picked up……but when I read reviews for ‘Cake’, and for Jennifer’s performance, I didn’t really get a vibe that the movie was shocking, innovative,etc–more like everyone was surprised that Jennifer was in this movie. And that’s the vibe I got with the reviewer at Deadline. Also, rather ironic is right after his review of ‘Cake’, he had a review of ‘Shelter’ (Paul Bettany’s directorial debut), and said that if this movie doesn’t get picked up, it’ll be because it was so shocking, raw, comparable to Jennifer Connolly’s performance in ‘Requiem For A Dream’.
Honestly, from what I get from the reviewers about ‘Cake’–it’s an okay movie, with an okay performance, but because it’s Jennifer Aniston, it’s a huge deal. I’m just surprised that she’s had such a bad run lately–her last two films haven’t gotten distributors that I’ve heard (Life of Crime, and Squirrells to Nuts??)
Life of Crime went into limited release in 37 theaters the same day it went to VOD. it went from 37 theaters to zero in less than a month and made something like $265,000.
Squirrels to Nuts has been renamed She’s Funny That Way and is supposed to come out next year sometime.
I’m getting a feeling her career is going into free fall. When you have to buy your own film to get it into limited distribution after no other studio wanted it, it’s a bad sign.
Tippy
Nothing. Nothing will ever happen with Goree Girls.
Every so often it’s said to be the project that Aniston will take on from behind the camera. That she’ll remake this film and show off her producing skills. It’s been on her IMDB page for years and years, but has never had a date attached. And it likely won’t. It only serves as a goto piece on how versatile Aniston is.
@Lak: Spot on.
+1. Honestly. Jenn A* is still famous because she milked the public’s sympathy with the Brad Pitt divorce.
She plays a variant of the same Friend’s character each time.
BOOO!
This, to infinity and beyooooond.
Thank you. She is a one note wonder. I wonder how she manages?
This Cake sounds like a Muffin.
This reminds me. I love cake.
Mahna Mahna.
Do doo de doo doo
Mimif’s do do’s infected me.
Ha. HAHAHA!
That was my take on it, too. Controversial, yes. Lots of people prefer pie. But I stand with you, Jaderu. Cake. Yeah.
If it’s a legitimately good movie, it’s sad that it can’t get a distributor.
*couldn’t*
It doesn’t sound like it’s a great film. It didn’t get much buzz at the TIFF and most critics didn’t even bother reviewing it.
I just looked on Rottentomatoes and it has 50% rotten…not good!
Hey Kiddo 🙂
I agree that it would be sad if a good movie couldn’t find a distributor. I would have to see this one to know if it is good or not, of course! I was intrigued by the short story that it was based on. I thought that some of you might want the link, so:
http://patricktobin.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Tobin_Cake.pdf
I hope that works. I’m a reader first when I can be and then I like to view the film. I figured their might be others like me out there 🙂
Lol very true about her solving the pr problem by going braless with a see-through top and talking about Oscars. She is a psycho stalker.
Stalker? Who does she stalk? The critics/reviewers? This really doesn’t make sense…
You don’t know? This site hates anything Jennifer Aniston and think she spends her time trying to outdo the Jolie-Pitts. I don’t even like Jennifer but the hate fest on her and love fest with the JPs is almost sickening
@Seijidan: if you classify this as hatred then I suggest you try other sites.
This site is one of the few sites where positive comments about the JPs are allowed and the negative comments about Jennifer is allowed. Most other sites have a deal with Jennifer & her agent Huvane.
I actually dare you to go to Female first forum and read what Jen hens are writing about the JPs. Now that is what is truly hateful, shameful and sickening. They wish death, rape, mental illness etc to the JPs including the children – that’s how depraved the Jen hens are.
AntiSocialButterfly, my answer to that is below.
Seijian, oh please! Stop with the hysterics! Have you looked at other sites? This site just re-addresses the pendulum. Why don’t you leave the ONE site that is JP friendly alone and stop being a hypocrite and go attack other sites such as JJ, FF, DListed etc that are so saturated with psychotic AJ haters that they wish rape on her and her children. Instead of your faux outrage, resplendent with the obligatory FALSE disclaimer “I am not a Jennifer fan BUT….” (don’t they all start like that, lol) line, a bs line we’ve all seen and know what it means (undercover Anistonloonie) why don’t you stop wasting your time slamming a site that is very, VERY tame on JA and instead have a go at sites that recommend a woman and her children be raped, all because of their idol Aniston. Faux ‘undercover Anistonloonies’ like you are so obvious its pathetic. I’d have more respect for some of the Anistonloons if they just had the courage of their convictions and stopped pretending to be neutral fence-sitters to try and appear like they have a valid point. You, FingerBinger (anyone ever seen her posts over on that Blind Item site? she’s a real FFer) and all the others. We’ve seen you all come and go. We know your game. Give it up.
PS As for her spending her time outdoing the Pitts, well she does spend at least part of her time doing that. Do we need to find links, timelines etc for evidence? If you followed her and the JPs, you’d see the connection. But DeNial (Nile) ain’t just a river in Egypt……
AntiSocialButterfly, I believe they are talking about her ‘stalking’ Brad and Angelina. Much like she did at the 2009 Oscars, dragging John Mayer (“I luuuv every part of him,” she coo’d to Gayle King for the 2009 Oprah Oscar special that she had no reason to be on. heave, wretch, lolol) to the ceremony where BOTH Brad and Angelina got Best Actor/Best Actress nods. That was the biggest creepster move she did, although she’s done others all along. For years, she’d strategically debut a “New MAN!” as Brad and Angie were set to premiere films and walk the carpet at Cannes. There are those of us who because we had interest in B/A and what they were doing at the time, recall clearly the press the ex would try to generate at the same time (see assorted rags and women’s glossies with headlines screaming “Brad who?!!!!” that would run simultaneously in May).
Braless and see through might work at 20 something going into 30 something, but she is closing in on 50 here. I heard the movie was bad, but she wasn’t. Doesn’t much matter for her seeing how she has more money than God and is supposedly happy with that Fonzie looking dude.
that Fonzie looking dude.
hahahaha
I know, it’s perfect and I’m stealing it.
*throws margarita at Gina*
Fonzie! LMAO He wishes. Seriously, I almost choked reading that. That said, do those two ever see each other? Why the hell do you get engaged, then proceed to live 2000 miles apart for most of the year. Even that seems like more fake b.s. to ‘compete,’ with Brad and Angelina. She’s just weird man, and her PR dude is her bestie enabler.
Well, Aniston’s engagement to Theroux was to one-up Brad and Angie who had gotten engaged just months earlier. Even Aniston’s wedding was slated to take place in spring 2013 — according to Aniston herself in the issue of People she hijacked from the Oscar winners — because the rumor was Brad and Angie were supposedly getting married at that time. She clearly got some faulty intel and made herself look ridiculous. Shortly after that, there was another People cover with Aniston claiming the wedding was on hold. Clearly, she’s competing with her ex. It’s just way too obvious in my opinion.
Desperation is not a good look. This reminds me of the Glen Close character in fatal attraction saying “I will not be ignored.”
Lol so true. That is her to a tee with her stalking of the JPs.
For real. It’s like sending yourself flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Hehehe
Is that like rain on your wedding day? Or a free ride, when you already paid?
It figures.
Oh man, this is HER (flowers to self on Valentine’s Day!) — hahaha!! That sounds like some Michael K ish. Cramping up laughing. So funny. You win the internet today Abbott.
It sounds like it’s a good film that doesn’t have a lot of commercial potential, so no one wanted to take the risk. It’s a shame it’s so expensive to promote and distribute films, there’s a lot that siund interesting but never even come close to my area. Good thing for Netflix.
I think she is trying to shake up her career, which is a good thing.
I liked her in The Breakup and in Marley and Me, the scenes where the marriage was breaking down in both movies. I thought she pulled off the dramatic scenes, and it’s time she branched out a little and took more risks.
Agreed. Word is that she’s good but film has issues. Not much commercial potential, as you said. I thought her PPD scene in Marley &Me was strong, truthful, and non-‘schticky.’ It made me think she could do much more interesting work. Glad she’s trying.
Love her in Marley and Breakup. She was really good in the Good Girl and Derailed and was really funny in Horrible Bosses. Wonder why she didn’t take that path?
I liked her in Leprechaun.
The reviews suggest that it actually is not a very good film.
Shows she just does not have box office draw for no one to take a risk on her.
Jennifer isn’t getting an Oscar nomination. If she was so amazing she wouldn’t have difficulty getting a distributor. Studios will take a chance if there’s no boxoffice but strong Oscar buzz.
They have a distribution deal with Warner to release the film.
The marketing is interesting, though misguided, because they are copying Harvey Weinstein’s method of using award season to promote the film.
The question remains whether Warner, whilst willing to distribute, will cough up for awards season against Harvey and their other potential oscar films.
If Warner had faith in the film they would have bought it in Toronto and distributed it, but Jennifer’s last movie that came out in August did not even make $200,000 and the hype for this film seems manufactured.
Itsnotthatserious: I agree with your statement, BUT the producers have a distribution deal with Warners for a fixed number of films are using that to get the film released.
It doesn’t mean that Warners itself *is* interested in the film, but they have a contractual deal to distribute the producers’ films and CAKE is being release under the Warner banner as a result of that deal.
Warner’s is not distributing it domestically. They have an international deal with them.
Jen had her producers create a distribution arm. Desperate.
I don’t believe Warner is distributing Cake at all. It has a different overseas distributor called Eagle. Warner may distribute future films for that film company but Cake isn’t named as one of them.
Though I think the article is written to make people think there is a big company somehow involved with Cake so it will seem like it garnered big studio or ANY studio interest when in fact it didn’t.
This whole buzz thing is a joke and completely PR generated by her own people.
Aniston taking Melissa Leo-ing to the Nth degree. This is not going to go down well.
Boxoffice and distribution has nothing to do with the quality of films. It’s more about money than anything else.
Please stop saying that. If you have a name that is at least A-list in terms of recognition, and you legitimately have an Oscar worthy surprise performance that’s delivered, someone somewhere would be willing to poney up. This film after it premiered, got tagged early on as jumping the PR gun on the manufactured ‘oscar buzz’ b.s., then it started getting ridiculed. It didn’t help that the only blogger pushing it as such – some guy on deadline, is known to be in the back pocket of PR flacks.
David Poland pookah, but you’re right.
Also, they said Warner had international rights, but still is not remarking if the film is releasing as a full promotion or just limited-DVD markets. In some countries, Warner releases films directly for the DVD markets.
Cake!! I’m going to skip the breakfast bagel and wander over to the bakery. Cheese cake, it has cheese and cheese is a dairy product in it so it must be healthy. As for Aniston’s Cake..she’s been cast in far too many empty calorie movies – after awhile it’s like eating stale cake that’s been left out far too long on the pantry shelf.
I don’t get why it’s such a big deal it didn’t find a distributor? So many good little indies never find distributors, often even when they have a ‘star’ lead and are getting great reviews. It’s just the way it goes now. These days when a film get’s itself a distributor at a festival it’s a big deal. Look at the fuss made when Chris Rock’s latest film was secured for a tidy sum. That sort of thing used to happen to half the films at festivals, now it’s rare enough to get everyone talking.
A lot of producers are starting to do what the producers of Cake are doing. It’s not something unique being done to try and get Aniston an Oscar, it’s just the way the business is going now. If you make a small film and don’t want it to go straight to VOD, you have to be prepared to put it out there yourself.
Exactly. It seems to me many believe that what goes into cinemas is there based on quality standards and that couldn’t be more far from the truth.
blah, blah, blah.
It is a big deal because her pr team spent the days after TIFF releasing stories to the press about how they were trying to sell it, how lots were interested ( obviously a lie now).
If Aniston was a big star with proven box office power, she would get a distributor.
Face it, no one wanted Cake, so Aniston basically bought it herself in a desperate attempt at Oscar. When in reality there are many more actresses more deserving this year.
And no, lots of producers are not doing this! Never heard of this desperation before.
Well, that may be true for real indie films, but Aniston is not an indie star and has zero indie history or credibility. It’s more like her dramatic film got no uptake. So it must be an indie?
BTW, no shame in making a good living with direct to VOD products, but that’s not what this was conceived as either.
I’m honestly curious–how many films that actual name stars have gone to film festivals and not gotten picked up….especially with a ton of press–beyond these last few Jennifer Aniston films? I don’t know of any celebrities that have done films that didn’t get picked up–the only one I can think of right now is that awful stripper movie that Jennifer Biel did.
JESSICA Biel….lol.
There hasn’t been much interest in Jennifer Anniston’s performance, but they are going to spend tons of money creating “Oscar buzz” for her, even though it’s a fake marketing ploy.
Even legitimate contenders with worthy performances have to hustle. It has become so obvious that you have to buy your way into the Oscars now. You can’t even get considered unless a studio or distribution company is willing to spend a massive amount of money on a campaign, and then the actor has to actively campaign to get the nomination. I am not as impressed by the Oscars as I used to be. Money and power factor more than performance in determining who gets in the race.
She “acts” with her nipples. No way is she getting an Oscar unless that’s her next dog’s name.
“She “acts” with her nipples.”
LOL…emoting nips.
LMAO. I wonder if her nipples are friends with Cindy Crawford’s mole?
That explains her hook-up with the emoting eyebrow. “My nips just KNEW, you guys!!”
Ha! Good one Kri. It’s a rebel eyebrow, doing its own thing, independent of the other brow. It will not be corralled.
This piece doesn’t say what “Cake” is about. When I hear “Oscar contender” I think: pretty actress with limited range wears no makeup, is applauded for her “bravery” and snags Oscar — sort of like Charlize Theron and “Monster”.
Anniston is no Meryl Streep, Hellen Mirren or Jodi Foster.
I feel like it’s always a bad idea to pump up the movie to a ridiculous extent before it’s even released. Small movies do better with great buzz from people who have actually seen it. With the expectations that this is her oscar moment, I can imagine people very disappointed. It’s way better to go in with low expectations and let the movie and acting speak for itself.
This. The Oscar hype she and her team build up for this back fired. It would’ve been better if she let her acting in the film speak out for her performance.
“would’ve been better if she let her acting in the film speak out for her performance.”
Then all you’d hear would be the sound of crickets chirping.
There was buzz for her with The Good Girl too, she was okay in that “oh look Ansiton has on no makeup and is frumpy enough to warrant an award” way. Let’s face it though, she is a one note actress who needs another great sitcom. That is her career and who she is. Stick to sitcoms and endorsements, ain’t no shame in that game.
Yup, you are absolutely right. She should go back to TV and back to a sitcom: it’s her strength and there is no shame in it. She’s obsessed with being the movie star, isn’t she? Can’t let it go…
Agreed. I didn’t think she was great in The Good Girl: all she did was schlump around with a depressed look on her face, and deliver most of her lines in a monotone. It wasn’t Rachel, so people got excited about it, but it wasn’t an Oscar-worthy performance either.
Correction, IMO, there was manufactured buzz for the Good Girl movie (she’s had the same PR svengali for 20 years), that was pie in the sky dreaming too.
I’m always tickled when people bring that indie movie up. It’s literally become a household phrase in the minds of Aniston enablers, but only because they have it at the ready to spout when people call her a terrible actress.
Funny how when it came out, no one saw it, no one was talking about it and no one cared or knew what it was. But now, to hear her fans talk, every single one of them saw it and of course they like speaking as if most other people saw it too – like it’s a thing that everyone knows about. Er, nuh-uh. Sorry.
Um…I heard about that movie before it came out and I am not even a Rachel, I mean Jennifer fan. As I said she should go back to tv, she’d be happier and so would everyone else. She doesn’t have the chops to make it in anything aside from sitcoms and the fact that she is famous at all speaks of the nepotism in Hollywood.
The problem with Aniston is she was okay in The Good Girl and, according to reviewers at TIFF, she’s okay in Cake as well. But okay isn’t going to cut it if you’re hoping to contend for an Oscar or some other major award like a SAG or Critics Choice. When you enter the awards race, you reach a whole new level of competition. You can’t just be okay. You’ve got to knock it out of the park, because this year you’re most likely competing with the Julianne Moore’s, the Amy Adams’, the Rosamund Pike’s’, the Jessica Chastain’s, the Reese Witherspoon’s, the Hilary Swank’s and the Felicity Jones’s. Now, the question is, is her performance in Cake better than or equal to any of the performances by the actresses mentioned above? I don’t think it would be a stretch to say no.
If you asked me, the buzz on Aniston’s “performance” is credited to the film’s director, Miguel Arteta – I put that in quotation marks deliberately because its actually the “look” that Aniston sported in this film that adds to her “performance” as its so different from her “Rachel” look. Arteta told her not to wash her hair (opposite to Rachel and her usual groomed look) and had her lessen Aniston’s mannerisms (her acting coach used weights to to help curb her acting tics).
the good girl was one of her earliest movies dont forget when she was in full friends mode – 2002 that was then and she still hasnt be able to do any indie movie or movie without her usual mannerisms
3 2 1 the wedding is back on and jennifer & Justin will now talk about the wedding plans, babies and have their friends badmouth the JPs.
Despite being underground since TIFF she will now be pictured going to pap haven restaurant to meet her female friends – you know because she is so popular and well liked by females.
She will go to Cabo and show off her Bikini body and the next batch of CAA friends. She might even buy Harvey to go with her this year.
If Jennifer gets nominated and even wins before Amy Adams, Julianna Moore, Jessica Chastain, Leo Di, Brad Pitt etc then Academy Awards has sunk to the lowest level possible.
There is no way Jennifer has the acting taken these people have.
Stupid autocorrect – meant acting talent☺️
There’s a lot of acTORS that have won an Oscar with a mediocre performance. If it was just about talent, Helen, Judy, Emma, Julianne, Ralph etc., would all have a lot more awards than they do. Unfortunately its turned into a circus!!
So she basically bought and is distributing her own film that no one wanted only because she got a few decent reviews for the first time in 12 years?
Desperate or ambitious?
I’d go with the former because why not keep making more good movies like this one and let your work speak for itself. No need to rush with these “Jen Oscar” headlines. She could get ridiculed by critics if she is not careful.
PS..sorry for my grammar, English is not my first language.
Maya and your majesty I agree. If there is a God, He will make this person go away. She bought her own movie, and is pushing hard for an Oscar? WTF? Please. Give me a break.
I like that she tries something new. She´s a good rom com-actress. Nothing more nothing less.
I hope for her and the people involved that thois movie has success, but it likely won´t. Small movies have little change today. Distribution means nothing. The best movies are the small ones and they struggle because they mean risk and only money counts. That´s why there are all these comic/action/prequels/sequels movies with the same actors out there. The worthy new movies get ignored. Oscars mean nothing anymore.
Sorry Jen but you should rename this movie, Pie. No one wants to distribute it coz everybody hates cake. Look what happened to Heather Graham’s movie with the same name. Cake is evil. People who love cake should be cakeshamed.
Layer Cake with Daniel Craig was an excellent movie. The tv show Cake Boss has also done very well. The original American Pie did well ,but the sequels have been terrible. Your pie v.s. cake theory doesn’t hold up.
“Cake is evil.”
Your anti bread-like pastry crusade has been duly noted. Harsh retribution will be executed posthaste.
You will get your just desserts.
*badum-ching*
Now let me see if I got this right: after moldering on the shelf for 50 days because no distributor would touch it with a ten foot pole after “Life of Crime” turned into toxic waste, she had to buy and distribute “Cake” herself to get it into limited release for a week? Sorry, Jen, but desperation does not look good on you.
Don’t say that – Jennifer has been wearing the desperation look for the past decade or so. It’s her favourite look!!!
Yep.
The producers were trying to say this was their plan all along!
Then why were they trying to sell it at TIFF? Why did her PR team release stories about looking for distribution?
So embarrassing to have to sink so low and buy your own movie because no one else cares.
Is it the same week as ‘Unbroken,’ for real? That is just too pathetic. She really is the Fatal Attraction woman.
Has a trailer been released yet for Cake. Every Cake trailer link on the
internet leads back to Derailed.
Sooo…every Cake trailer has been “Derailed”. 😀
*Groan* Don’t give up your day job.
😆
That was so corny right? Ugh, I’m turning into my mother, lol.
On the one hand good for her for finding a way to getting it distributed. On the other it wasn’t really a rave performance. If you go over to Rotten Tomatoes its at 50%. So while some critics liked it some thought it was laughably bad and that’s why it didn’t get distributed. It was a better’ish’ (for Aniston low low bar set) performance in a bad film.
That is the thing.
The bar is set very, very low for her. She is treated with kid gloves.
In my wide awake nightmare Jen wins the oscar for her raw preformance in that little engine that could movie “Cake”
“Home for Purim” anyone…?
Firstly Re : Cake vs Pie debate
COBBLER!!!!
As for Jen,I can already picture People Magazine January 2015 Headline
10 years After __
Jen : A New Husband,A New Baby and a Possible Oscar Nomination
I just threw up in my mouth because you’re probably right.
*Gags some more*
Wonder if it has anything to do with Misty Uphman being in it?
I don’t think Aniston or her PR guy are beyond using the tragic death of an actress that happened to be in that film to get a boost.
A friend of my husband is a Journalist in Europe. He was sent out to interview her when she was with Brad, for some project.
Anyway, he came back and said she was was the most boring person he has ever interviewed.
I was surprised because this guy never says peep about his celebs he interviews.
I like Jen and wish her luck in her Oscar quest.
I don’t know how your friend could stand it–if it was me, I’d be on the phone talking sh-t to my mom the minute the interview was over, hahaha.
Wow. A woman with a middling talent performs in aforementioned middling manner for a decade and through good money management and the miracle of compound interest amasses a hundred million dollar fortune. In spite of said fortune she continues in a film career where she reprises her middling performance for enough money to keep her in renovated mansions without touching the principle of her fortune. The luckiest girl in the world. Really.
Now, that she’s aged out of her middling rom com roles and has few prospects she is taking amazing artistic risks by playing an average woman her own age. How brave. This film is so good that no mainstream distributor will touch it. It’s too good for everyone.
This is what indie awards are for! Honoring the mega rich, ultra cautious, popular girl next door when she takes her hair extensions out.
*bows down*
Hahahaha….spot on!
Haha, great comment!
Interesting that all this shiz hits at the same time she was spotted around town minus The Ring — perhaps calculated to soften the blow of a possible broken engagement. Hope not, though…..
Hopefully she wont stoop so low as to show up in random theatres trying to flog her shiz to suckers for shiz.
I don’t think she will. Apparently no random theatres or suckers are interested in showing her shiz or seeing it. So her lofty perch is safe.
She also can’t be a**ed working hard enough to get out there and push her films. She’s not just a lazy ‘actress’.
Way too much attention for a film that no one talked about after it showed at TIFF.. And for someone that is suppose to be such an “A-list” celebrity you would think some studio would put money behind this film. but that didn’t happen.
Time will tell whether her performance is good enough for any award consideration. What would be a shame if a more deserving performance doesn’t get recognized if her’s is just OK.
She should be feeling good that she is even mentioned in the talk.
I have so little patience with the so called Oscar buzz for films and performances that no one has seen and that are entirely manufactured by publicists. If you can believe it, a few years back when J lo and Marc Anthony did that horrendous film together and supposedly insiders on the set were actually calling Marc Anthony’s performance as a revelation and Oscar worthy. We all saw how that played out. These awards a joke these days any way. Some of these folks have vision of Oscars that far outweighs their visions of actually being any good at the work. It’s become a checklist item for folks who believe they deserve one simply because they have switched from rom com fluff to a dramatic role and this is even more so if they happened to put on a bunch prosthetics to look bad. I guarantee 99 out a hundred reviews will describe Aniston as being courageous for a facial scar that is in no way disfiguring and wearing clothing that all of us wear every day without feeling in the least bit courageous about it.
I haven’t commented in this site in a while so I’m not sure if I’m using the reply button correctly.
Anyway, just want to add regarding The Good Girl. If you asked me, the buzz on Aniston’s “performance” is credited to the film’s director, Miguel Arteta – I put that in quotation marks deliberately because its actually the “look” that Aniston sported in this film that adds to her “performance” as its so different from her “Rachel” look. Arteta told her not to wash her hair (opposite to Rachel and her usual groomed look) and had her lessen Aniston’s mannerisms (her acting coach used weights to to help curb her acting tics).