A holiday get-together goes wrong in a number of ways in this dark comedy from first-time director Rafael Monserrate. It's 1987, and Cliff Morgan (Jay O. Sanders) and his wife Carol (Kathleen Quinlan) are having their annual Thanksgiving reunion with their children. Robby (Troy Hall) is a twenty-something disc jockey, Charlie (Kevin Logie) is a paranoid teenager convinced he's going to contract a serious illness, and adopted daughter Brooke (Deshja Driggs-Hall) is a fashion maven with regrettable taste. The night before Thanksgiving, the Morgans honor family tradition by gathering for dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant, where Cliff and Carol drop a bomb on their kids, announcing that they're getting a divorce and this will be their last holiday together. The parents also ask their children to keep their negative feelings about this news to themselves so their Turkey Day will be pleasant. However, this is easier said than done, and while this would be the worst time of all for Robby and Brooke to acknowledge their long-simmering attraction to one another, that doesn't stop it from happening. Poundcake received its world premiere at the 2008 AFI Los Angeles Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide