Indie movie is getting limited December release, just in time to qualify for the Academy Awards race

Oct 28, 2014 12:13 GMT  ·  By
Jennifer Aniston in character on the set of “Cake,” for which she’s already getting plenty of Oscar buzz
   Jennifer Aniston in character on the set of “Cake,” for which she’s already getting plenty of Oscar buzz

Jennifer Aniston got her big break in showbiz with “Friends,” and though she occasionally strayed from the comedic route, she is mostly considered a one-note actress, the kind that likes to pick the same role over and over again because it’s guaranteed to be successful. Well, with “Cake,” brace yourself for something different.

In the indie movie, Aniston plays a female character like no other she’s played before, starting from her appearance to her circumstances / story. As you can see in the photo attached to this article, which was snapped a while back on the set, Jennifer is sporting facial prosthetics to make her look as if she’s scarred and an outfit she would probably never keep in her own personal wardrobe.

Apparently, all this hard work is about to pay off big time, because she’s getting Oscar buzz for the performance.

“Cake” is getting a limited release, just to qualify for the Oscars race

The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada in September, where it got such a positive response from critics that it was immediately picked for distribution. Even back then, there was some Oscar buzz around Aniston’s performance who, apparently, is about to one-up the world and finally show that she’s more than the stylish girl next door we’ve been seeing in rom-coms for decades.  

Deadline is now confirming that Cinelou Films has launched the distribution company Cinelou Releasing, which will be making its debut with “Cake.” The film will get just one week of release in December, meaning exactly how much it needs to qualify for the Oscars.

The wide release remains set for January 2015. The trade publication notes the connection between the buzz around Aniston’s performance and the December release, hinting that it’s no coincidence: Jennifer will attempt to make her first Oscar run, and she’ll be gunning for the Best Actress category.

From what director Daniel Barnz tells Deadline, she totally deserves it: he admits he thought of her when he first read the script as the “most obvious un-obvious choice,” because “she’s mega-talented, but we’ve never seen the whole range of her extraordinary comic and dramatic abilities showcased in one role.”

So far, critics agree with him: Jennifer is really showing off her acting chops, in a way that should silence all haters for good.

The Academy loves dramatic transformations

Another reason Aniston is getting this much Oscar buzz, even from those who are yet to see “Cake&,rdquo; is the fact that she loses herself completely in the character, in the sense that she’s no longer recognizable as herself in that role.

The Academy Awards loves nothing more than a good, dramatic transformation, and you have to look no farther than Charlize Theron in “Monster” or Christian Bale in “The Fighter” to understand that. Of course, these two actors won the coveted statuette through their convincing performances first, but the physical transformation also helped.

If Aniston delivers the goods too in terms of performance, it’s probably a safe bet to see her nominated for Best Actress.