Gio brings a cake to a memorial celebration for the 10th anniversary of his father’s mysterious death, hosted by his uncle, a Brooklyn mafia boss. His life begins to change as he pieces together what really happened to his father.
Born into a group of relatives replete with mob connections, Giovanni (Shiloh Fernandez) invariably finds himself on the outside looking in. After his father’s mysterious death – found strangled in the trunk of a Cadillac – Gio drops off some food left over from the funeral to the local priest, Father Kelly (Ewan McGregor). The concerned Father Kelly asks about Gio’s black eye, administered to him by Russian bullies in high school. Later, Gio’s cousin Leo (Emory Cohen) urges him to extract retribution from the Russians. Alas, Gio just doesn’t have it in him.
Fast-forward ten years later on the anniversary of his father’s death, Gio’s mother Sofia (Lorraine Bracco) bakes a cake and asks her son to make the delivery – Uncle Angelo (Val Kilmer), as it turns out, is hosting a get-together commemorating the death of Gio’s father. During the extended trek through the streets of Brooklyn, Gio encounters all manner of mobsters, feds, crooked cops, and not-so-innocent bystanders.
Leo has mysteriously gone missing, with the hint of a drug bust, DEA agent involvement, and worst of all, rumors of flipping Gio’s cousin against the criminal clan. Gio’s long association with Leo only further serves to fuel the extended family’s ambivalence toward him. Along the way to Uncle Angelo’s, Gio witnesses a murder directly related to the search for Leo, eventually forcing him to confront the ugly truths about the sordid and pervasive family business.
Packed with recognizable supporting actors, the formidable cast literally begs that the story receive thoughtful consideration from audiences. Unfortunately, the film consistently misses one opportunity after another. Notable appearances include Vincent Pastore as Vito, Ashley Benson as Tracey, William Fichtner as Uncle Ricardo, Paul Sorvino as Uncle Carmine, Aldis Hodge as Eagle, and Luis Guzmán as a delightful pot-smoking cab driver who also freely offers relationship advice to anyone willing to listen.
“The Birthday Cake” presents a potentially interesting character study, but without enough plot structure to carry the production through. Although clocking in at just over ninety minutes, the affair seems to drag on for much longer. First-time director and co-writer Jimmy Giannopoulos demonstrates considerable promise, but it may be prudent to hold out for his sophomore effort instead.
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