Cake

Phillippa "Pippa" McGee (Heather Graham) returns home to attend yet another wedding, and begins to wonder if all of her once boldly independent girlfriends will succumb to the comforts of coupledom. She's satisfied to know that her best friend Lulu (played deliciously by Sandra Oh) is still a cohort in their Sex-in-the-City type antics. Then Pippa's father has a heart attack, and Pippa helps by taking over as editor for one of his magazines: Wedding Bells.

Pippa brings her personality to the job, and asks her confused new employees to push the status quo. Cheryl Hines and Bruce Gray play two of these characters -- and they are soooo funny. Also tied to this temporary new job is Ian Gray (played by David Sutcliffe), her father's uptight (and charming and handsome) VP. Ian doesn't want Pippa to destroy her ailing father's magazine, so he tries to rein in some of her crazier ideas. Of course the two butt heads.

And the two share an amazing chemistry.

I smile all the way through this movie, every time. If you like light-hearted romantic comedy, this DVD is well worth the cost.

Director Nisha Ganatra and writer Tassie Cameron seem to have most of their experience in TV movies so this little slice of the industry is a change for them. Would that it were wholly successful because it seems as though both had a fine idea for something to say but just didn't know how to make it work. And again, blame the PR folks for making a cover for the DVD that not only seems silly, it has little to do with the story inside.

Pippa McGee (Heather Graham) is a travel writer, a hedonist, and an independent woman who avoids relationships like the plague. The film starts with a goofus dash for a wedding in which she is once again a bridesmaid on the run. After the ceremony she jokes with her best friend Lulu (Sandra Oh) who is equally against long term relationships beyond a quick shag, and she also meets one Ian (David Sutcliffe - Under the Tuscan Sun, Testosterone, Happy Endings etc), a handsome if shy young man who though attracted to Pippa, sees her as dangerous territory.

Pippa soon discovers that her father Malcolm McGee (Bruce Gray), a wealthy successful owner of a magazine conglomerate, is ill, has a heart attack, and though the father and daughter have had a negligible relationship, Pippa offers her help. Of course, her assignment is to be editor of 'Wedding Bells' magazine her departed mother started, and Pippa takes on the epitome of everything she loathes about relationships and marriage and tries to make a go of it. She discovers that Ian is her father's vice president and thus in charge of her new and loathed assignment. Pippa partners with the handsome magazine photographer Hemingway Jones (Taye Diggs), has a fling, and becomes close friends and partners in an attempt to change the look of the wedding magazine. There are far too many subplots to discuss, but suffice it to say that changes occur in the personalities of everyone involved and the ending, while entirely predictable, has enough humor and warmth to make a good evening out of a shaky story.

Heather Graham handles her 'challengingly bad' role with great aplomb: she is a delight to watch. The remainder of the cast does their best with the lines they're given. This is a bit of fluff, aimed at the 'chick flick' devotees, but it has its moments. Grady Harp, July 06

This is one of my favorite movies! Heather Graham is fantastic as Pippa, a free spirited travel writer who has a hard time committing to anything- especially men.

When she takes over her father's magazine, she meets Ian, played by the very talented and sexy David Sutcliffe. The two have great on-screen chemistry, and it's clear they will end up together in the end, but the unpredictable way in which they do is perfect.

But unlike many other romantic comedies, the movie has more going on than just the connection between the two main characters. The movie deals with Pippa's struggle to create a successful magazine, her feelings about remaining single while her friends around her are tying the knot, and the unresolved issues with her dad.

This is a great movie for anyone who enjoys a light, sweet, entertaining romantic comedy!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars