A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake

It’s no news that Diane Ladd is one of the greatest actresses in the history of American cinema, phenomenally adept at comedy and tragedy. What is news is that she now demonstrates an equal mastery of the short story form. In A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake Ladd shows us a pitch-perfect ear for regional as well as urban dialogue, an innate wit, and a sure hand at plotting and narrative. Perhaps this is less of a surprise than it first appears she is, after all, a cousin of Tennessee Williams.