Cherry

Dramas are over abundant in stories that lead to drug abuse of some kind and have opportunities to explore the descent into that substance usage. There has to be a protagonist viewers have emotional investment in, a tragic series of events that feel real enough to push them down a dark path, and watch as they affect those around them in using their vices. There are many films that are excellent in delivering on this well such as Requiem for a Dream but it's also easy for these kind of premises that can get ruined by overdramatizing the situation via a bad script or weak directing. This brings us to Cherry, a crime drama directed by Joe and Anthony Russo that's based on an autofictional novel of the same name. The Russo Brothers haven't had good film track record ever since their tenure with the Marvel movies they worked on and star Tom Holland has bad luck with non Spider-Man projects in recent years so seeing them together is interesting. After watching it blind (without looking at trailers), I'm baffled at this wasted potential in this feature that ends up being forgettable.

What's it about? The story follows an Army veteran narrating the events of his life from falling in love, serving 1 year on the field, and robbing banks to spend on his drug addiction. On paper, there's definitely potential to deliver emotional threads to the lead while watching him undergo a series of events that change him. There are aspects where it's engaging where the harsh reality of dangers serving in the Army have some expected but harsh moments that affect him. There's experimental filmmaking going on from the directors that make something interesting here.

Unfortunately, the end results end up squandered where many of its areas don't feel like they land emotional impact. The narrative it's aiming for would have worked far better as a limited series rather than a movie as nothing here actually is fleshed out as it wanted to be. The romance arc, for example, is rushed in terms of dialogue and progression with the "love at first sight" angle, which affects how null the dynamic feels later on. The story itself digs into the recycling bin and pulls out something familiar that doesn't try shaking up the formula much. It feels like its aiming for the Good Time (2017) approach of having a weird adventure that becomes a nightmare with people you don't care much about but the execution here tries too hard and accomplishes nothing but a forgettable viewing. 

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Tom Holland. Tom is doing his best with the material but he's very hit or miss due to the directing as when he's rather subtle in heavy parts, he's pretty good but other scenes looks like he's overacting it. This actor picked this to add variety to his portfolio outside of his superhero films but he needs to pick better scripts next time. Honorable mentions Jack Reynor and Ciara Bravo due to the former acting decent with his limited screen time while the latter doing her best in her performance of a role that gets hindered by the scrip.

 

Overall Consensus: Cherry is a crime drama that tries too hard to elevate its formulaic plot resulting in experimental but mixed directing, a weak script, hit or miss acting, bad pacing in a long runtime, and lacking emotional value in serious subject matter. ⭑1/2 Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes R

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or directors Joe and Anthony Russo. You don't mind formulaic plots with substance reliance. You have read the novel this is based on and are curious on how its adapted into a film. 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or directors Joe and Anthony Russo. You are bored with formulaic plots with substance reliance. You have read the novel this is based on but don't want to see how its adapted into a film. You want to see serious subject matter like PTSD and addiction treated with more respect and less over the top dramatization. You are weirded out by bizarre camera angles (there's a point of view shot where an army physician officer is inspecting a rectum as depicted with a tube...yes seriously). You dislike arcs that expect you to sympathize with a bank robber rather than the teller. You are annoyed with romance arc writing that's rushed and lacking chemistry.