What the Russo Brothers were able to accomplish with the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be something that will continue to be studied based on its impact and the inspiration it’s had. Unfortunately, the work they’ve had outside of the MCU haven’t been the successes that they hoped for, either them being the producers or the directors. Granted, it’s not like the movies they’ve done are absolute dumpster fires it’s simply the reason that one could make the argument that the MCU was the selling point whereas the name “Russo Brothers” was an irrelevant marketing pull. After the release of the juggernaut that was Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers were producing their first movie outside of the MCU called 21 Bridges, which starred MCU veteran Chadwick Boseman, among many others. People like Chadwick Boseman and die hard fans of the MCU admire the Russo Brothers, but no one went to see it. Their latest collaboration was Netflix’s Extraction, which was also led by MCU actor Chris Hemsworth, which certainly was well liked and competently made, it didn’t get the massive critical appeal that they had with their attempts in the MCU. To put it plainly, the Russo Brothers have had somewhat of a struggle to stretch their wings when it comes to working on projects that have nothing to do with sorcerer’s, Asgardians or talking trees. Cherry was a project the Russo Brothers announced years ago but there became production issues when principal photography got delayed. Now with the movie finally debuting on Apple TV+ this weekend, Cherry is a devastating, exhausting & mentally draining directorial effort from the Russo Brothers. One that captures the psychological battles with war, the serious and harmful effects of drug overdoses and the ability to keep ones life sane. Tom Holland gives a powerful and stunning performance and with this one role, it’s proof that this kid has so much range as a performer.
Based on the novel written by Nico Walker, Cherry focuses on a young man named Cherry, who shifts from a college dropout to an army medic over in Iraq, who then meets the love of his life, Emily. But when Cherry comes back from the war with severe PTSD, Cherry’s life soars down the path of drugs and crime while trying to find a meaningful life.
We love Tom Holland as the famous web slinger, but with Cherry and Devil All the Time, Tom Holland is showing that he has a gift as a performer by displaying so much range. He brings so much brokenness, discomfort and agony to the character, yet can still highlight the talent and the rawness that he can carry. This by far his best performance and it leaves us wanting so much more from him. Another scene stealer in Cherry is Tom Holland’s co-star, Ciara Bravo. Not known from anything big (aside from her role from the Nickelodeon show Big Time Rush), who completely breaks your heart with her tragic and heart-rending performance. The chemistry they share in this movie serves as the glue of the entire story and it’s what makes the emotional crux of this movie deep and effective.
Cherry is by no means a perfect movie and the issues that come within it are certain narrative choices that didn’t feel in sync. First off, the narration in the movie felt odd and a tad out of place. Now, this could be an aspect that would work better in the format of a novel and maybe it could have been executed well in the style of a motion picture. Unfortunately, the handling of the narration in Cherry was something that feels more well suited for the book rather than the actual movie. The tone and the vibes of Cherry are mature, serious and almost kind of violent, so to have the narration as a narrative tool might not have been all worth it. Secondly, Cherry has some awkward moments of fourth wall breaking. Without getting into spoiler territory, it’s the same problem with the narration in this movie. This narrative tactic didn’t seem to jive well with, again, the initial blueprints of the movie, so every time this happened it felt a little jarring.
Aside from the two issues with the movie, Cherry is an impressive directorial effort from the Russo Brothers. The movie acts as an amalgamation of a Scorsese & De Palma picture that still feels like it can stand on its own two feet. It borrows a lot, which can’t be overshadowed, yet it still feels organic and unique in its own way. Henry Jackman, who’s one of the best film composers working today, has orchestrated most wildest and bleak set of music to date. It’s bleak haunting and it captures the themes of the movie in an amazing way. But the best ingredient in this movie is the arousing and gut-wrenching performance from Mr. Tom Holland. Despite what some critics are saying, Cherry works on almost every level, based on the performances, the heaviness of its subject matter and the music that make this movie worth the 2.5 hour run time
My grade for Cherry: B+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 