“Cherry” Review
Tom Holland portrays an Army medic turned addict and bank robber in “Cherry,” the latest collaboration with Holland and the Russo Brothers.
Currently, no one is more closely related to the superhero genre than actor Tom Holland and directors Anthony and Joe Russo whose work with the Marvel Cinematic Universe has captivated audiences and has been incredibly entertaining. However, it is understandable for both Holland and the Russos to try and do something new. “Cherry,” which is currently available on Apple TV+, is an admirable attempt to tell a more mature story, but falls short due to an uninteresting narrative and a bizarre directorial style.
Set in the early 2000s, Holland portrays the unnamed protagonist of the film who joins the army, gets married to his college sweetheart (Ciara Bravo) and sees many horrors while overseas. Upon returning home, he’s abandoned by the government, suffers from PTSD and becomes addicted to drugs. With no money, Holland resorts to robbing banks to pay for his addiction as he spirals out of control.
Holland’s layered performance is the best reason to watch this film. Seeing him turn from an average kid into a bank robber is interesting to watch and it’s obvious that Holland is giving this performance his all. He’s captivating whenever he’s on screen as is Bravo who gives a strong performance as Holland’s wife Emily. Her struggles to help her husband while he’s suffering is heartbreaking to watch which ultimately leads her to become addicted to drugs as well.
These performances are truly remarkable which is even more disappointing when looking at the final film. “Cherry’s” narrative feels very clunky and has to cover a lot of time from when Holland goes to college to when he resorts to robbing banks with war scenes tossed in the middle. There’s also a great deal of unnecessary voice-over narration that doesn’t really add much to the overall story.
Holland’s performance as the protagonist of “Cherry” is nothing short of remarkable.
The film’s runtime is two hours and 20 minutes and the pacing of the film is so uneven that it feels like a quick watch and a long haul at the same time. The film’s ending alone could have been cut by five minutes and the entirety of “Cherry” feels like a completed rough cut.
The Russo Brothers are very talented directors on both film and television, having worked on the MCU, “Community” and “Arrested Development,” which makes “Cherry” such a strange addition to their filmography. Some of the camera placement and color correction feels like it was intended to convey some deep, artistic meaning but I can’t figure out what the meaning was and I’d like to think I understand the film “Vertigo.”
It seems like the filmmakers were trying to make a really epic story that spotlights the Opioid Crisis and how America has failed its veterans, but “Cherry” is so caught up in its own style that the meaning falls flat.
While Tom Holland deserves the praise he gets as an actor and the Russos deserve the respect of having made some of the best blockbusters of the last decade, “Cherry” seems like a stumble on the path of success. While I’m interested to see these people grow as filmmakers, a better story and vision is required.
