Babycakes (1989)
Grace is an overweight mortuary cosmetician who falls in love with Rob, a handsome subway train conductor who doesn't even know she exists. When she finally devises a way to meet him, they discover that although they are physically different, they have a lot more in common than they think.
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What a waste of my time!!!
An absolute waste of money
Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Recently discovered this one here in France under the title "Une Fille à Croquer". This is a light-hearted reassuring and at times funny film with lots of tenderness. True, the ending is a little contrived and over accelerated. Also, Ricki is a damned side more attractive than the boy's fiancée ( awful woman!! ) so the final choice for him was pretty obvious. Still it's always a pleasure seeing someone making a film going against Western stereotypes ( ie that fat is bad and thin is good ). In Africa, as far as I know, its just the opposite, the men ADORE fat women and wouldn't give thin ones the time of day. There are other films on this them like Shallow Hal but the best is a German one called "Die Hässlich" ( see my comments on IMDb ). This is a far more emotional affair and does not end well, but not for the reasons you might imagine - Kleenex is definitely essential. Babycakes is more light hearted and although Grace is plumpish, she is damned good looking but more important has a sincere and warm character, which is why the metro driver has no problem coming to his final choice !!
Being a lady of size I found this movie exceedingly embarrassing. I remember seeing this movie for the first time when I was about 12 years old, then and now I get so unnerved by the lengths Grace goes to "catch" Rob. The movie is like Fat-Girl-Chick-Lit all stereotypes and hammy dialogue. Ricki Lake's performance is overacted and the situations she finds herself in ridiculous. No self-respecting plus size woman would grovel or moan about like Grace. The guy who plays Rob does a very decent job and tries to convince the audience he can handle Ricki Lake's Grace. It is just strange, this movie is good for a laugh and that is it. If you want to see a good 80's movie check out Teen WitchP.S. The bathtub scene needs to be fast-forwarded through.
No great shakes, but a real nice light romantic comedy. Paul Schneider directs this off beat story of an overly plump cosmetician(Ricki Lake) falling in love with a solidly built subway conductor(Craig Sheffer) who happens to already be spoken for. He is more than willing to spend part of the Christmas season with her while his fiancee is out of town. Are his feelings for real or just pity? There is that little something about this movie that makes you take inventory of your own insecurity and doubts.
Babycakes is a sweet film, but not nearly as good as the German movie upon which it is based, Percy Adlon's Zuckerbaby (1985). Why does Hollywood persist in making limp retreads of European gems? City of Angels, Three Men & A Baby, Pennies From Heaven, Blame It On Rio, The Vanishing, The Birdcage... Even sitcoms like All In The Family, Sanford & Son and Three's Company are just inferior retreads of Brit originals. To be fair, the Brits tried to remake The Golden Girls, and an unholy mess they made of that too... Sylvester Stallone's forthcoming remake of Get Carter fills me with abject dread. Are there no original ideas in La La Land any more?