''Baby Cakes'' is a 1989

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

starring

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for B ...

and

Craig Sheffer Craig Eric Sheffer (born April 23, 1960) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading roles as Norman Maclean in the film ''A River Runs Through It (film), A River Runs Through It, ''Aaron Boone in the film ''Nightbreed' ...

. It was released on

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

in 1989, and subsequently came to be aired sporadically on both Lifetime and the

Lifetime Movie Network LMN (also known previously as Lifetime Movies, and an initialism for Lifetime Movie Network) is an American pay television network owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and t ...

. ''Baby Cakes'' is an American remake of the 1985 German film '' Sugarbaby''. It would later inspire the 2004 song of the same name by the UK Garage act 3 of a Kind.

Plot

Mortuary A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

cosmetician Grace Hart (

) lives in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and rides the subway every day. Her somewhat unhappy existence is noted as she shops in a department store with her best friend, Keri (Nada Despotovich), a socially awkward and mousy

coworker Coworking is an arrangement in which workers for different companies share an office space. It allows cost savings and convenience through the use of common infrastructures, such as equipment, utilities and receptionist and custodial services, an ...

and is rudely asked to please look at their "Large Ladies Department". That same night, she and Keri are at a local skating rink when a young, attractive, amateur ice skater, Rob (

), catches Grace's eye; she claims that he is the most beautiful man she has ever laid eyes on. The following morning, Grace is wrapping a wedding present (a painted portrait of Grace and her father) for her

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

father, Al's (

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in ''D ...

), supermarket wedding. Grace's new stepmother, a

cashier A retail cashier or simply a cashier is a person who handles the cash register at various locations such as the point of sale in a retail store. The most common use of the title is in the retail industry, but this job title is also used in the ...

at the same supermarket named Wanda ( Betty Buckley), claims to care, but her sweet-talking attitude somehow always ends up insulting Grace in a

passive aggressive Passive-aggressive behavior is characterized by a pattern of passive hostility and an avoidance of direct communication. Inaction where some action is socially customary is a typical passive-aggressive strategy (showing up late for functions, st ...

sort of way instead of helping. When Grace is caught overindulging at the wedding, Wanda and Al express their concerns, to which she tells them she knows what they're going to say that she's got a pretty face, but she needs to lose weight. After sending Al to get her a drink, Wanda tells Grace that she'll never find a boyfriend if she doesn't lose weight. To shut Wanda up, Grace lies and states that she already has a boyfriend. A surprised Wanda says that she and Al would love to meet him. On her way home, Grace is riding the subway when she notices that Rob is a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

subway Motorman. After following him around town a bit, she discovers that he is in a relationship with a woman named Olivia ( Cynthia Dale). Grace observes the relationship as being rocky, with Olivia behaving in a very overbearing manner toward the non-confrontational Rob. She decides to win Rob over, and eventually manages a meeting with him, after his girlfriend leaves town to visit her family for the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

holidays. This meeting blossoms into a full-fledged romance, one that is lamented by Grace's overly pessimistic best friend Keri. After Rob leaves for a New Year's party with Grace, Olivia arrives home to an empty house. She asks around at the ice rink where Rob likes to practice skating, where Keri reveals his secret relationship, along with their location that evening. Olivia, in a fit of rage, confronts Rob and Grace at the club where he is partying, beats Grace to the ground, and calls her cruel names like "fat", "cheap trash". Grace goes back to being depressed and lonely; her father finally takes notice and tells her the truth about how her mother died - by suicide. He was mainly worried about Grace because she looks a lot like her mother did when alive; also, her mother struggled with her own weight, as Grace does. Feeling that the struggle was what led to the depression, and the eventual suicide, of Grace's mother, he was worried that Grace would end up the same way. Grace later decides to quit being afraid of what the world thinks of her and to follow her own dreams. She applies to beauty school to become a full-fledged

beautician Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/ pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such a ...

and

hairstylist A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be ref ...

. The story concludes with Rob realizing that Olivia refuses to accept him as he is and that he truly loves Grace.

Cast

as Grace *

as Rob Harrison * Nada Despotovich as Keri *

as Al * Betty Buckley as Wanda * Cynthia Dale as Olivia

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0096872, Babycakes 1989 films Romance television films Films directed by Paul Schneider (director) American remakes of German films 1980s English-language films