From Jeremy Kibler

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. Jane works as the assistant to a music agent (Midler), and Corinne 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. Bette Midler doesn’t get nearly enough to do as Corinne’s boss but always has a lively way with a one-liner in her handful of scenes. An affable Ron Livingston and dryly hilarious Martha Kelly play Corinne’s quirky Arizona parents; he’s a Mr. Fix-It always taking on a project around the girls’ apartment and she’s a worrywart. 

After a while, the title, Sitting in Bars with Cake, becomes a bit of a misnomer for the film. Pastry chef Megan Potthoff’s painstakingly decorated cakes will give one a sweet tooth, and the way every distinct confection gets an introduction is clever and energetic. But beyond the frivolous, somewhat strange, if intriguing hook of “cakebarring,” the way Jane and Corinne’s relationship changes after the latter’s terminal illness becomes the main focus, as it should. It’s this steadfast friendship that rises above the predictable trappings of any disease-of-the-week drama.

Rating: 3/5

Sitting in Bars with Cake is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Follow Jeremy at @JKiblerFilm