The Birthday Cake

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2:01

The Birthday Cake

R

Released Jun 18, 2021

1h 23m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

22%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Gio brings a cake to a memorial celebration for the 10th anniversary of his father's mysterious death, hosted by his uncle (Val Kilmer), a Brooklyn mafia boss. His life begins to change as he pieces together what really happened to his father.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Given its meandering script and absurdly grand guignol ending, it's astonishing that The Birthday Cake could attract such a starry cast.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 14, 2021

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

No matter how you slice it, this star-studded mob film still seems undercooked.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 18, 2021

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Giannopoulos might be inexperienced, but he's canny with mood and unafraid to experiment with the rhythms of violence. I, for one, am keen to see what he does next.

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Daryl MacDonald

InSession Film

It's a paean to better movies and you might end up asking yourself why you didn't just watch one of those instead.

Rated: C

Apr 26, 2024

Full Review

Susan Granger

www.susangranger.com

There may be a great deal of competition in the category, but I nominate this crime drama as the worst Mob movie ever made!

Rated: 2/10

Jul 30, 2021

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

A barrage of mob movie cliches undermines what might have been an intriguingly offbeat tale.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 22, 2021

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Steve C

More muddled than the batter used for baking a cake. Oh yeah, happy birthday....enjoy your slice of cake. There's a widowette party going on too.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

Peter R

Complete mess. Would not advise watching. Everything about it confused. Poor acting, even from the big names. Amateurish. Story could have been good if done differently.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/24

Full Review

Damian P

This film was genuinely unclear, underwhelming and lacked clear direction. Also noting you can't understand one word that Uncle Angelo speaks throughout the entire movie (which I found to be ridiculous and unnecessary). Some genuine stars cast here as well as stating its a combination of 'Layer Cake and The Godfather' in the movie description (absolutely reaching) it was all too promising but what an absolute let down in the end. Some poor audio too which didn't help. Giving it two stars as it was entertaining in some moments and nice to see some familiar faces however ultimately it missed the bar.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Sean C

Realistic take on crime families a raw and gritty film with a vintage feel and way of storytelling, big indie vibe that used to be a staple in Hollywood before the transformer marvel era that has made art like this film hard to sell. This would have been box office gold in 95, but art is not appropriated these days. Gotta love the ramble and flow and concept of this whole film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/21/23

Full Review

Tom C

Different vibe from most of this genre which took a while to get used to. But as it progresses you get drawn in and the suspense builds in anticipation of something nasty unfolding which it does. Van Kilmer was great and still exudes on screen charisma.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/09/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Great Cast! But… The acting, script, cinematography, music…. Horrific. An embarrassing film for all who were involved. A real cinematic steaming pile of sh*t!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/17/22

Full Review

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Jimmy Giannopoulos

Director

Shiloh Fernandez

Gio

Val Kilmer

Uncle Angelo

Ewan McGregor

Father Kelly

Paul Sorvino

Uncle Carmine

William Fichtner

Uncle Ricardo

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The Birthday Cake: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Gio brings a cake to a memorial celebration for the 10th anniversary of his father's mysterious death, hosted by his uncle (Val Kilmer), a Brooklyn mafia boss. His life begins to change as he pieces together what really happened to his father.

Director: Jimmy Giannopoulos
Producer: Diomedes Raul Bermudez, Carlos Cuscó, Shiloh Fernandez, Siena Oberman, Danny Sawaf
Screenwriter: Diomedes Raul Bermudez, Shiloh Fernandez, Jimmy Giannopoulos
Distributor: Screen Media Films
Production Co: Tucci & Company, SSS Entertainment, Carte Blanche Film, Glanzrock Productions, Artemis, Foton Pictures, Purpose Films, Oceana Studios, SSS Film Capital
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Nudity|Drug Use|Some Sexual References|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 18, 2021
Runtime: 1h 23m

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