CHERRY (2021) – Review

Here’s a film whose behind-the-scenes (and one in “in front”) story may be just as, if not more, interesting as the plot. It addresses the ages-old battle between art and commerce, but it’s not to say that the two are always mutually exclusive. To put it a bit more clearly, this highlights the cinematic clashes between big-budget blockbusters and small gritty “indie” dramas. Also it offers a test for the “career trajectory” of filmmakers. And it’s not a new thing. After the box office explosion of STAR WARS in 1977, George Lucas told the press that after producing the two follow-ups, his new directorial efforts would be personal “artistic” experiments. But when he got back in the director’s chair 22 years later he returned to that “galaxy far, far away” for the “prequel trilogy”. Similar thing happened a few years later with Peter Jackson, who talked up intimate dramas after the Lord of the Rings trio, then remade KING KONG before he was back in Middle Earth for the HOBBIT flicks. Now here’s the directing duo behind, literally, the biggest money-making spectacular ever, who are really going ahead with those old intentions as they get their “down and dirty” with the drug-fueled crime thriller CHERRY.

Well, perhaps this is more a fable ala’ Gump or Garp, though more brutal and cautionary. As we meet our twenty-something hero, merely called “Cheery” (Tom Holland), he’s cruising the “mean streets” of Cleveland prior to his latest bit of lawlessness. Ah but he wasn’t always a criminal. His story jumps back nearly a decade, when he was drifting between his college classes, partying with his old neighborhood “buds” Forrest Goodluck (James Lightfoot) and “Cousin” Joe (Michael Gandolfini), and bouncing from one eatery gig (busboy, bartender) to the next. Then he was “gobsmacked” by his “fantasy girl made real” Emily (Ciara Bravo). Though she’s from “the right side of the track” , the two begin a romance. All seems well until Emily tells him that once the semester is over, she plans to continue her studies elsewhere, perhaps overseas. Cherry decides his best option for the future would be as an Army medic and enlists. Ah, but she’s changed her mind about leaving, so the pair impulsively tie the knot prior to his basic training. The near constant abuse from the drill sergeants can’t prepare him for the horrors of early 21st century Afghanistan. Cherry returns to the states a broken man whose “night terrors” are treated by government prescriptions, including Oxycotin. From there it’s a quick trip to heroin addcition. After several tries to get her hubby “clean”, Emily joins him. Soon the “junkie” couple rack-up a massive debt to the local supplier known as “Pills and Coke” (Jack Reynor). His threats of violence seemingly leave Cheery no choice but to begin his crime career by knocking off local banks.Which circles right around to our initial introduction to him. Can Cherry end this vicious circle before both he and Emily end up in the grave or in prison?

Taking a break from the red and blue bodysuit, Holland reminds us of his formidable range, showing us that he’s much more than the nice young lad next door (though, making the web-slinger so relatable is no mean feat itself). Can it really be nine years since he astounded audiences with his stunning work in the tsunami tear-jerker THE IMPOSSIBLE (I recall thinking that audiences should keep an eye out for him)? In this lead role, Holland convincingly morphs from casual college kid to hardened war survivor to burnt-out scavenger forced into felonies. Through it all, we see Cherry’s adoration for Emily even through his often stoned eyes, which gives the often irresponsible drifter a real beating heart beneath the needles and the stick-ups. Cherry is truly a multi-layered character and Holland makes his every struggle vibrant and real. It helps that he’s got crackling chemistry with screen newcomer Bravo who strives to remove Emily from her unattainable “goddess” pedestal, as she shows us the “cracks’ in her seemingly perfect image. At first we believe that she’s merely toying with Cherry who’s her “walk on the wild side”, but Bravo shows us Emily’s sensitive side as she truly lets him into her heart. This makes her descent into Hell, tangled up as she tries to saves her soulmate, so devastating, especially as she shoots up during her school day. And though he doesn’t appear until the story’s tense third act, Reynor is pure banal evil as the dealer exploiting the couple. “P and C’ is full of blustery threats, but revealing his true nature when “aiding” Cherry’s “cash grabs”. A sequence in which he taunts an innocent with his deadly wares is truly chilling.

And the director duo collaborated with Holland three times before. Of course, we’re talking about the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, who put together the biggest hit of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and of all time, AVENGERS: ENDGAME. Here’s they’re returning to their 2002 roots (WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD) with the low-rent crime caper adding maybe a touch of their character comedy YOU, ME, AND DEPREE (though not many laughs on this one). The men are able to “go with the flow” of this fable of one man’s folly and fortunes, going from first love in the first chapter (and the film does have chapter headings) to exhausting battle drama (the basic training scenes have a true FULL METAL JACKET vibe, while the desert shoot-outs are as harrowing as last year’s THE OUTPOST) before settling into an addiction crime spree right out of DRUGSTORE COWBOY. Giving the film much of its dramatic heft is the screenplay by Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg adapting the Nico Walker novel, but there’s still touches of keen satire as they dole out funny spoof names of Cherry’s “targets” ( “Capitol None” and “Sh*#ty Bank”). The epilogue may feel a tad rushed, but by the end, you feel like you’ve truly shared a seat in a rollercoaster of a life. The Russos haven’t lost their touch with the “reglar’ Joes” after bringing life to our modern mythology (though the pace doesn’t zip as with that previous epic). Like its namesake, CHERRY is often sweet, but its look at the “have-nots” can be bitter and very biting. It’s a vivid “vacay” from the MCU.

3 Out of 4

CHERRY opens in select theaters on Friday, February 26, 2021.

CHERRY also streams exclusively on Apple TV+ beginning March 12, 2021