Quirky 2000s Rom-Com About Cereal And Capitalism Will Force You To Follow Your Dreams

By Robert Scucci
| Published 7 seconds ago

Sometimes, you just need a push to pursue greatness, and you might find kernels of that in 2007’s Flakes, directed by Michael Lehmann of Heathers fame, and starring Aaron Stanford and Zooey Deschanel, who are both super charming in that quirky, “these people would be disasters in real life, but I’m oddly attracted to them in movies” kind of way.

Flakes is about a bunch of weirdos who do weird things and then find themselves through said weirdness. It’s about breakfast cereal, and it’s better than Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted, which is total garbage.

I’m Super, Duper Cereal

The main takeaway from Flakes is that aspiring but failed musician Neal Downs (Aaron Stanford) is about to lose his girlfriend, Miss Pussy Katz (Zooey Deschanel), after making a series of misguided decisions. Neal works at a small business called Flakes, which sells a wide variety of breakfast cereal to its loyal customer base. The business is facing possible financial ruin after a rival cereal shop opens across the street, while its owner, Willie (Christopher Lloyd), lacks the proper business acumen despite his deep-lore knowledge of all things breakfast cereal.

Miss Pussy Katz asks Neal for a job, and Neal says no, putting their relationship in jeopardy because Neal hasn’t released any new music in quite some time, and the couple could certainly use the money. Instead, Miss Pussy Katz decides to work across the street at the new breakfast cereal place in town in hopes of running her boyfriend’s place out of business.

This feud sends everybody into a spiral, resulting in a wholesome message about fearlessly pursuing art and giving the finger to all sorts of corporate authority figures. It’s kind of cute, but it’s a little too on the nose.

My main thought was, “I get it … these indie darlings don’t like corporations but love cereal and art.” There’s really not much else to this film, which is in and out in 84 minutes.

The Talent Involved Makes Flakes Worth It

Flakes is one of those movies that you’d really enjoy if you went to art school in the early 2000s. If you’re an adult with actual responsibilities, you may find yourself wondering, “Why should I care?” But if you’re like me and feeling nostalgic for a time when breakfast cereal dominated your life because that’s all you could afford while trying to become an adult, you’ll probably walk away from the viewing experience feeling validated.

The moral to Flakes is a simple one: follow your heart, consequences be damned. The world doesn’t work like that, though, and you’ll have to pick and choose your battles.

If you’re looking for a healthy middle ground, one that reconciles the never-ending forward march of obligation and uncertainty with the kind of whimsy that you can only find in a movie starring Zooey Deschanel, then you’ll have a great time with Flakes. It’s not exactly high art, but it’s pretending to be. It only made $778 at the box office, so if you’re an artist who pours your heart and soul into every project you start, then at least this part feels on point.

As of this writing, you can stream Flakes for free on Tubi.