User Reviews

Cherry was such a strange watch for me. For the most part, the film was a 5/10. I was generally uninterested for the most part; but then the third act happened. The film spent so much time developing the characters and relationships, and when everything came together, it was just great cinema. The pacing was iffy, it was rather quick in the war portion of the film, but then slowed a lot in the third act. I think that when the film was finally doing what it was supposed to do, it was at its best. And the amazing soundtrack gets played so much more at the end; seriously, the soundtrack carried a lot in this movie.

The acting was flawless too. I never really took Tom Holland seriously as an actor until I saw Cherry. He's got tons of talent and I'm looking forward for what he's got next. The makeup was also very well done. When you pair great makeup and great acting, you get a level of realism that's just unnerving to watch. Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo genuinely look sickly, and it really shows you the horrors of addiction and PTSD.

Overall, I think this is a film that you have to watch for yourself. Some might really hate it, others might really like it. It does get a little hard to watch at times, because of its 2hr20min runtime, but I think it was well worth it.

The main thing I want to point out is the way the movie addresses PTSD. I served in the Marines during the same time as this movie is set, and Fallujah was no joke. When I came home I was having seizures and really bad nightmares myself. So addressing this in a more in depth was great. Secondly the perspective of how a solider felt about the war was also handled very well. Way different than the movies like Jarhead. All in all this is an excellent movie. I read a review that said this movie is trying too hard to be smart. It doesn't try, it is smart.

I have been dreading writing this review only because theres so much to say.

First off, Tom Holland does a SPECTACULAR job in this film. His performance is outstanding. He really draws you into the character. However, the downside is that there is no plot with this story. Its just a sequence of events. In the first hour hes in college and meets his girlfriend, they break up, leading him to enlist in the army. They get back together but he still has to go. He comes back with ptsd and is prescribed addictive medication. His wife and him become junkies. And that was just the first hour.

In the second, hes a junkie who robs banks because he needs the money. In the last 10 minutes he goes to prison and changes.

There are a lot of things that didnt make sense and i dont think thats something to blame the Russo brothers for. His name is never said. The places like banks had weird names. The Russo brothers dont have a specific type of style to be critiqued on so that is not a factor to fit in. I think the film was shot beautifully, they just dragged the second hour and 20 minutes too long. We didnt need an hour of then shooting heroin.

To be honest, it felt a lot like the Basketball Diaries, except Cherry never felt like it had a message it was trying to convey. And that just might be it, but if the movie is going to be 2 hours and 2 minutes long then it deserves a point.

The film opens with Cherry (Tom Holland) as a bank robber. The bulk of the film takes us up to that point and then beyond. Summary plot spoiler: Cherry goes to college. Meets Emily (Ciara Bravo) Joins army. Married. Iraq. PTSD. Drug addict. Bank robber. Prison rehab. Happily ever after. While it had some good scenes for the most part it was tedious to watch as the film dragged on. I was way too long. Tom Holland just wasn't that good or interesting.

Guide: F-word. Implied sex. No nudity.

Greetings again from the darkness. Brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo are known for their work with Marvel, including, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, and AVENGERS: INFIINITY WAR. This time they tackle a stylish crime-thriller based on the Nico Walker novel, and adapted for the screen by co-writers Angela Russo-Otsot (sister of the directors) and Jessica Goldberg. The Russos reunite with Tom Holland (Spider-Man in the Marvel universe), and he proves quite capable of carrying the heavy load in a bleak and somber drama.

Opening a film with a Van Morrison song is always a welcome move, and then it cuts right to Holland as our lead character narrating as he executes armed robbery at a local Cleveland bank. He admits it's not his first and that his face has been caught on camera a few times. Oh, and he discloses to us that he likes trees. It's not the last time we ask, "Why?"

The directors break the film into segments, beginning with Part 1: 2002, "When life was beginning, I saw you." In English class, he spots Emily (Ciara Bravo) and soon the romance is in full bloom. A too-quick decision has him joining the Army, and the two lovebirds tie the knot before he heads out. In this segment, we learn that he takes Xanax for panic attacks, and his best friend is James (Forrest Goodluck).

Part 2 takes us through Basic Training, where Holland's character pushes through the brutal Drill Instructors to become a medic, which transitions into Part 3 known as Cherry (the name given to Holland's character after his first battlefield action. His time in Iraq finds him watching as his Army pal Jimenez (Jeff Wahlberg, Mark's nephew) dies from wounds.

Part 4 "Home", shifts the film from a character study to a case study on the extremes of PTSD. Even though he is back with Emily, the love of his life, Cherry simply can't function as a normal person. The medal for his heroic war efforts means nothing to a man who can't sleep or find peace. His self-destructive actions include drinking, drug addiction, and a series of bad decisions ... all dragging his lovely Emily right down with him. This leads to Part 5 "Dope Life", which is without question, one of the most depressing and difficult to watch segments of any movie I can recall. It's every bit as much of a downer as THE BOOST (1988), LEAVING LAS VEGAS (1995), or REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (2000). The film becomes a sea of drugs, bank robberies, and needles in arms.

Long time cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel (DRIVE, 2011; THE USUAL SUSPECTS, 1999) assists with the horrific sensation that these situations evoke by capturing the desperation of the characters and squalor of their environment. The Epilogue covers an extended period time through present day, and though the ending is not really a surprise, we do wish a bit more context had been provided. The initial bank robbery we see basically bookends the film leaving us trying to recover from this Romance-War-Mental Health-Drug Addiction-Crime thriller that saps our energy. This is not one for those who prefer light-hearted cinema or get annoyed by cheap filmmaker tricks. Available in theatres February 26, 2021 and on AppleTV on March 12, 2021