"Cherry" Review
Well, that was ambitious.
Cherry is not style over substance, it's style vs. substance as the Russo brothers go head over heels on social commentary for seemingly no reason.
Breaking down into five acts, Cherry moves in linear fashion as our unnamed character goes from college to the army to robbing banks. Tom Holland does impress with his ability to adapt to the different ages, even if his boyish looks prevent him from being taken entirely seriously.
This movie would not win the award for best cinematography. But it would win the award for most cinematography as the directing pair play with filters, aspect ratios, backgrounds, surreal sequences, tinting, and long takes. It's a technical explosion that wobbles the line between wonderous and obnoxious. It's very clear now that the Russos are the ones responsible for the sudden visual improvement within the MCU around 2014-2015.
And then there's the story, which tries really hard to say something but doesn't say anything. The banks that Holland robs often have the logo of "Shitty Bank" (like Citi Bank) on them like we're meant to think Holland is a sort of good guy robbing from the robbers. But the movie never takes a clear stance on if society is the cause of his problems. It seems more like an individual scenario rather than a systematic problem. The same goes for the drug addiction storyline, which only briefly dives into the opioid epidemic among veterans. It's very basic stuff you and I have seen countless times before.
Even at 142 minutes, Cherry is quite long, but it is never boring. Sure, much of the excitement is because of over-the-top boldness instead of quality craft. But at least it's something slightly different and gives its talented cast and crew something to flex their muscles with.
