Director: Henry Jaglom
Writer: Henry Jaglom
Stars: Michael Emil, Karen Black, Michael Margotta
Synopsis: Zee (Karen Black) is walking up and down Manhattan streets, talking to herself and to the husband who just left her. At a sidewalk café she runs into Eli (Michael Emil). A very unlikely, funny, and touching relationship develops between two lost souls in the big city, which is the third major character in this film.
Henry Jaglom’s Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? is a wonderful jaunt through the Upper West Side of New York City in the early ‘80s. Equally delightful is this film’s new 4K restoration, celebrating its world premiere at the 63rd New York Film Festival; it could be argued that there is literally no better place in the world for such an event. Taylor Purdee of Hope Runs High Films made note while introducing the film that it was filmed primarily within a 20-block radius of the festival. It’s indicative of an experience that’s quite surreal: to step into a theater in a neighborhood so familiar, only to see a completely different version of those same surroundings on screen. And upon finishing the film, one can’t help but feel a strange sort of double exposure while passing the varied buildings and landmarks. Yet in a strange way, there’s something comforting in recognizing that stories such as the one in Jaglom’s film are still occurring among these same streets, being endlessly walked by individuals living their lives and figuring it out as they go along. Because despite Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? very much feeling like a time capsule, it’s an equally timeless story about people coming to terms with life not often going the way they’d initially planned.
It’s the humorous ways Jaglom’s central characters cope with this fact of life that makes up the majority of this brisk film. Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? opens with a playful credits sequence introducing the random delights New York City has always had to offer its residents. It then pivots to two unfortunately relatable situations. It would appear both instances will remain relatable for the rest of time. The first focuses on Zee (Karen Black) being broken up with by her husband rather unexpectedly. She wakes up to him packing his bags, and how their interaction plays out is both silly and heartbreaking. Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city, Mort (Martin Harvey Friedberg) is getting chewed out by an uptight boss. It’s a sequence which instantly endears the viewer to Mort. But in a fun subversion of expectation, we come to learn that Mort isn’t even our central character! It’s in fact the uptight boss himself, Eli (Michael Emil). Jaglom capturing these realities of life, and rather stylishly to boot, is something that remains omni-present throughout the film. And it’s the structure of Jaglom’s film going about capturing these realities which works quite well.
Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? operates as a quasi-romcom, but it could be argued that it’s far more interested in simply hanging out with the characters that inhabit the Upper West Side. If the quick pivot from Mort to Eli as the central male character wasn’t indicative enough, one needn’t look further than the elliptical nature of the film. One of the central ideas of Jaglom’s script is the idea that many of our plans in life will inevitably shift in some way. And that shift is captured through Jaglom’s wandering camera. He can introduce a slew of characters which may or may not ever come back into the picture. Despite that possibility, each character feels lived-in, and we’d have no problem following them on a quick journey to the corner store or for a drink at a nearby cafe. This loose focus present in Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? is a great strength of the film, especially considering many of the characters in it feel as if they’re falling apart at the seams in some way. 
Just look at how Jaglom’s camera casually follows Zee on her (comically despised) walk through the neighborhood. And despite it being a quite funny sequence, it’s all rooted in the pain she is going through. Black plays this breakdown with a vulnerable honesty, and it makes for a delightful lead performance. Immediately after her husband up and leaves, Zee feels completely lost in these streets she likely knows quite well. She’s constantly shifting in place, often muttering to herself or letting her gaze bounce all across the block. It’s as if the floor has fallen out from under her, and in the loud, unbothered streets of Manhattan, there’s unfortunately little sympathy to be found amongst passers-by. It’s not until she just so happens to sit at the table next to Eli and Mort that the plot of Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? kicks off. It’s out of this casual interaction which kicks off Eli and Zee’s strange pairing that makes up the bulk of the comedy present.
To be blunt, Eli is borderline insufferable; but it’s what makes him such a deeply human (and very amusing) character. He is full of eccentricities and absurd fun-facts that, were this to take place in 2025, are the sorts of statements made by men often beginning with “I heard this on a podcast.” His quirks and behavior are never overbearing, but Emil plays him so naturally that it makes for a fun push-and-pull, especially in the third act or whenever he’s the butt of a joke. In the end, there is a hope that he’ll ultimately remain quiet enough to actually listen to Zee and allow them to find a lovely middle-ground as a couple to flourish within. The romantic angle of the film works because they view the world on such fundamentally different levels. Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? is a film in love with the idea that stranger things than this pairing can and will happen in the city, if not the world. And the two examples which show off such a belief are deeply touching.
Around halfway through Can She Bake A Cherry Pie?, Eli and Zee are watching the New York Philharmonic perform in a park. As Zee insists they close their eyes and feel the beauty of the music, Eli simply cannot pause his mind for a single moment. And so Jaglom chooses to pull away from this specific date. The camera pans up into the sky, looking at the beauty of the stars. But this is New York City! So instead of seeking out constellations, a cut brings us to a panning shot of the street before moving up and across various windows. It feels like Jaglom may feel so inclined as to take us into any one of these random apartments, fully acknowledging the fact that within any of them, the potential for a completely different, or even eerily identical story, is playing out. Jaglom’s free-wheeling camera and search to find a story audiences can engage with is quite touching. The larger, unquantifiable forces of life may have different plans than the ones we form in our minds. So when things inevitably don’t go our way, we can either remain distraught, or simply laugh it off and adapt. Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? ultimately examines how Eli and Zee operate within those two manners of going about their lives, and in doing so, it makes for a sweet and enjoyable film. And as a bonus, Larry David has a scene where he reveals what he believes to be the key to happiness. With that bonus, Jaglom, Hope Runs High Films, and Cinématographe gives audiences two truths of life for the sweet price of one lovely restoration.
The new 4K restoration of Can She Bake A Cherry Pie? is celebrating its world premiere at the 63rd New York Film Festival as part of the Revivals section.
