The luminous, gone-too-soon New Hollywood chameleon Karen Black (1939-2013) makes an absolute feast of what might on paper read like an underwritten eccentric in Henry Jaglom’s 1983 comedy “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” Screening in the New York Film Festival’s Revivals section, a new 4K restoration makes its world premiere Saturday, showcasing a delightfully high-pitched update to the talky New York romcoms that Woody Allen brought to the mainstream in the 1970s.
Black—singing, shining and stealing the show that was hers to lose—is the best reason to see this goofy, screwball-lite rarity, and her whimsical, unpredictable tenor conjures an untethered Gena Rowlands (“A Woman Under the Influence”). Jaglom’s imaginative limitations (and ego) verge occasionally on the wrong side of grating, but this carefree film capably dances past rough edges, prevailing as a giddy document to the early-80s grit and anti-glamour of New York.
Defying Stereotypes and Celebrating Emotional Complexity
Borrowing from the playbooks of Allen (“Manhattan”) and Bob Fosse (“Sweet Charity”), Jaglom opens the action in Central Park, keying in on a wandering Zee (Black) who peers longingly at a dizzying circle of children playing and snacking with their female caregivers. What starts off sounding like offscreen music moves to the foreground, the catchy melody of The Lost Wandering Blues Band crooning the title track; which as a movie title, looks a bit ridiculous, suggesting a small-minded worldview towards females of a certain age. Fortunately, the song fits, that repeat barber shop quartet rhythm and snap extending throughout the film and into the end credits. And despite the opening sequence’s efforts to pigeonhole Zee, Black refuses to relinquish control of her character’s arc to a familiar trope.
While Jaglom’s sketch of Zee does occasionally mock her quirks—defined her by what she lacks, a too-much single lady—Black claps back with ample performative flair. In Eli (Michael Emil), Zee finds an oddball kindred spirit, the type of guy who lectures on how not to talk to women, and claims that hanging upside down from a doorway improves his sexual prowess. Eli can be unsufferable, chastising his lonely friend and co-worker Mort (Martin Harvey Friedberg) for his social shortcomings, or needling Zee about how she’s “too emotional.” But Emil—who, to me, will only ever be Albert Einstein, having played him in 1985’s “Insignificance”—portrays Eli as fundamentally a decent, maybe lovable mensch whose earnest vulnerability (and jealousy) offers a useful yin to Zee’s free-spirited yang.
Using New York City to Mirror the Characters’ Emotions
Certain supporting characters—looking at you, Larry (Michael Margotta), but not you, Larry (Larry David)—serve limited narrative purpose, beyond broadening the roster of it-could-only-happen-here New York types. And Jaglom’s extended homage to himself—a bedroom sequence where Zee enthusiastically watches the director’s debut “A Safe Place” on television—seems misplaced, dragging down the momentum. But, all the individual hits and misses fit somehow evenly as part of an imperfect whole, drawing on the relatable traits of live in the big city. For all the culture and vibrancy, living in New York can feel isolating and overwhelming, and the odd-couple grace of Eli and Zee grounds the film’s erratic detours away from them.
A standout series of scenes features Eli, Mort and Zee at an open mic night. Belting out a Karen Black original (The Food Song), alongside a stripped-down interpretation of the title song, Zee is a showstopper, full of life and boundless, unimpeded joy. Zee works the stage like a pro, and Black’s Connie White (“Nashville”) would doubtlessly have approved. (Unfortunately, Food Song was not included on Black’s posthumously released album, “Dreaming of You [1971-1976]”).
Underrated Films Don’t Need to Be Lost Forever
Black’s contagious charisma and uninhibited creativity in those moments recalls the fierce, independent nature of the New Hollywood movement, of which Black and Jaglom (who died last September 22) were key figures. By the early 1980s, all stars from that era had dimmed, so “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” is a welcome reminder that forgotten, underrated films don’t need to be lost forever. And, thanks to Karen Black, this sort-of classic is worthy of a reappraisal.
The 4K restoration of Henry Jaglom’s “Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?” screens on September 27th and 29th as part of the New York Film Festival’s Revivals segment. Follow us for more coverage.
