Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

“You seem to have a lot of energy — and it gets stuck in your forehead.”

Synopsis:
Two misfits (Karen Black and Michael Emil) find love in New York City.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Character Studies
  • Misfits
  • New York City
  • Romantic Comedy

Review:
Not a whole lot happens in Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?, an unusual, character-driven love story by independent filmmaker Henry Jaglom. Yet we can’t help getting caught up in the lives of Zee (Black) and Eli (Emil), who personify every misfit we’ve ever known — indeed, there’s something immensely satisfying about watching even these strangest of folks finding someone to love. Jaglom makes good use of New York City locales, and there are several unexpectedly fine moments — including one with a pigeon, and one in which Black (who has a lovely voice) sings the blues.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Karen Black as the abandoned wife who finds love unexpectedly
  • Michael Emil as Black’s love interest
  • Black singing the blues

Must See?
Yes. This quirky Henry Jaglom film — while not for every taste — is an excellent introduction to his early work. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Important Director

Links:

One thought on “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)

  1. First viewing. Skip it – unless you have a leaning toward inconsequential indie films.

    (In my opinion,) Henry Jaglom makes terrible films and this is no exception. Jaglom’s goal here seems to have been to one-up ‘Annie Hall’ (minus the wit). The entire, rather-haphazard film seems largely improvised but doesn’t benefit from any kind of inspiration along those lines.

    Tiresome, tedious, nothing really works.

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