Kritiken

Watching "Cherry" is like watching the Russos get set up by their own set-up. Because each one of these threads, these periods of Cherry’s life, is not only at risk of being condescended to, fashioned into a scuzzy “hot topic”; each is also, dangerously, a distinct, viable genre of movie. And the Russos make the error of leaning into the genre-ness of it all, with a knowing self-awareness that reveals itself to know very little, in fact.

"Cherry" feels like a movie made by a teenager, a bright kid who doesn’t leave his room much but still has plenty of thoughts about, you know, experiences and stuff... [It] goes on forever, tootling along in its abject misery; it fancies itself an epic... If you must scramble for a reason to see "Cherry," Tom Holland isn’t a bad one. He’s a superb, sensitive actor, and even in this colorless blank of a role, he pulls off a few moments of wondrous believability... But there’s not much he can do about [the film's] tedium.

The screenplay by Angela Russo-Otstot (sister to the Russos) and Jessica Goldberg never treats the protagonist’s possessiveness as a flaw or mark on his saintly record, but presents him as some broad, shapeless vessel of bruised masculinity. And while Holland may never hit a false note, there’s an odd, underlying strain to his performance – as if the natural charisma that made him a deeply likeable superhero has been pushed beneath the surface, screaming for air.

It's not that Cherry is lacking in creativity, and it's definitely not hampered by any bad choices, or by performances – Holland makes a more-than-convincing bright guy plummeting to his doom, and the process of his decline is perfectly mapped out... The issue is that, when the audience knows the inevitable path, there are limited opportunities for surprises... [But] just because it's a story we've seen a hundred times before doesn't mean it's any less poignant, pointed, or real.

This particular story needed a defter touch. When the Russos moved from absurdist sitcoms to “The Avengers,” they brought a fresh new energy to the superhero genre by emphasizing the little grace notes within the actors’ performances. With “Cherry” they do the opposite, applying the bombast of a Marvel action sequence to a slice-of-life drama. It’s a miscalculation — like using Thor’s hammer to build a bookshelf.

This is a vehement, heartfelt film, [in which] Holland certainly brings his A-game... "Cherry" is a fervent movie, corn-fed with drama and action, but maybe a little less than the sum of its parts.

As commendable and even brave as much of “Cherry” is, it suffers from diminishing returns as it becomes clear that what made Walker’s book great wasn’t the plot and characters, but the writing itself... The result is a movie that feels like many films being shoehorned into one, here evoking “Jarhead,” there evoking “Requiem for a Dream,” but always keeping its emotional essence at a distance, obscured by ever more arresting technical flourishes.

I admire the intentions behind "Cherry." I even admire the Russos' desire to "do one for themselves" after directing so many films in a corporate-driven context. But "Cherry" warrants a simpler down-and-dirty approach.

When it all gels, "Cherry" offers a timely portrait of a country medicating itself to mask traumas it hasn’t begun to process, as well as a poignant snapshot of youth circling the drain. It’s a tough watch, but it envelopes you like a miasma.

It’s fascinating, as it often is, to watch populist filmmakers go for prestige glory—but that curiosity only carries us so far into "Cherry’s" 141-minute run. There’s a sort of bell curve of tolerance; the film begins loud and over-egged, gradually settles into a sad and gnarly bildungsroman, and then burns itself out with an operatic finale. It’s an exhausting experience, which I realize may be the point.

Although Cherry can, at times, be an entertainingly brash and playful film, it’s also a long, loud trip through familiar material which only fitfully delivers its rewards... The tone wavers wildly, the attention hovers, and scenes are allowed to ramble on. At times the resulting sense of discomfort can help challenge the viewer, but "Cherry" isn’t sufficiently fresh to be challenging enough.

There’s much to chew on in "Cherry," and not all of it works. But a never-better performance from Tom Holland, and some bold directorial choices, make it a mostly compelling watch.