"Sitting in Bars with Cake" is “Beaches" with a sweet tooth

Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)

A cup of enduring friendship, a teaspoon of fatal illness, and a tablespoon of so-called “cakebarring” make up “Sitting in Bars with Cake” (not a belated follow-up to “Riding in Cars with Boys”). It’s “Beaches” with confections, to the point that Bette Midler even has a supporting role. This airy, sunny gal-pal romp initially seems like all icing and no substance, until it eventually turns into a more affecting and bittersweet three-hanky drama. It’s a bit of an awkward tonal shift, but director Trish Sie (2017’s “Pitch Perfect 3”) and writer Audrey Shulman (who draws from her own life and 2015 cookbook) don’t really let their film slip into too much melodrama.

Twentysomethings Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion) are the best of friends and roommates in Los Angeles. Corinne works as the assistant to a music agent (Midler), and Jane works in the mailroom for that same office while she’s supposed to be preparing for law school to please her lawyer parents. Jane is quite the home baker—and very single—so Corinne convinces her bestie to bake cakes and bring them to bars as a way to meet a guy. Jane ends up committing to this “cakebarring” goal, consisting of making 50 cakes for 50 bars. And then Corinne gets diagnosed with a brain tumor. 

“Sitting in Bars with Cake” is pure formula made better by the charismatic, emotionally honest performances and fresh Los Angeles night-spot locations. Yara Shahidi and Odessa A’zion are playing familiar types—Jane is reserved and a little shy, and Corinne is an extrovert always looking for a good time—but never two-dimensional or resistant to evolving. The performers make the central friendship touching and true at every turn, grounding the film’s version of reality. Read the full review at GuyAtTheMovies.com

Grade: B -

Amazon Studios released "Sitting in Bars with Cake" (120 min.) on Prime Video on September 8, 2023.