Based on the true story and novel by Audrey Shulman, Amazon Prime’s new film “Sitting in Bars with Cake” follows two best friends living in L.A. and working in the same building. Jane, played by “Grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi, is neat and careful, working in a mailroom while studying for law school entrance exams like her parents want her to, while Corrine, portrayed by Grand Army alum Odessa A’zion, is free spirited, outgoing and willing to bend the rules to have a good time.
The movie begins as Jane and her friends arrive at a bar where Corrine regularly performs with Corrine’s birthday cake, handmade by Jane with sour cream, pudding mix and Cocoa Krispies cereal. Jane’s cake immediately begins attracting the attention of every male in the room, prompting Corrine’s idea of “cakebarring,” a.k.a sitting in bars with cake, as a way to help the unlucky-in-love Jane meet new guys. “Cakebarring” not only helps Jane get out of her comfort zone when it comes to meeting men, but it also helps her finally strike up a conversation with Rish Shah’s Owen, who Jane has been crushing on for a while.
However, not everything goes to plan when in the midst of Jane and Corrine’s 50-cake “cakebarring” adventure, Corrine suffers a seizure and is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Together, the girls continue their ritual while Jane acts as Corrine’s caregiver in between visits from her parents. While it might be easy to assume “Sitting in Bars with Cake” is a predictable cancer movie, it is anything but.
Corrine’s sickness isn’t merely a device to help Jane grow, but rather they grow together through the experience and become even closer. The conclusion of Corrine’s death is heartbreaking, but the grief is quelled by the hope of Jane’s promise to continue to live life to the fullest for both herself and Corrine. I was a bit discontented when Jane and Owen’s relationship didn’t work out (but that’s probably just because I love Rish Shah as an actor). Overall, “Sitting in Bars with Cake” is a cathartic movie blanched with light hearted moments that is sure to help you get through a box of tissues. Shahidi and A’zion deliver heart wrenching performances, and its star-studded supporting cast, complete with Ron Livingston and Bette Midler, doesn’t disappoint. 4/5.
