'Cherry' Showcases A New, Darker Side Of Tom Holland
Starring Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Jack Reynor
Rated R
drama
Run time: 2 hr, 22 min
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
On Apple TV+ March 12, 2021
Every young adult in a blockbuster franchise has to have their moment when they break out of their role that the whole world has come to know them for, and Cherry is definitely that film for Tom Holland. He may be only 24 years old, but Holland is quickly taking steps to make sure the world knows he is more than just Spider-Man (though he is arguably the best live-action Spider-Man we’ve seen on the big screen). Despite this movie being helmed by the Russo brothers, who have worked with Holland on some small Marvel films you may have heard of like Avengers Endgame and Infinity War, it is like nothing you’ve ever seen this young actor in before.
The story centers on a young man (Holland) only known as Cherry to the audience as he goes through a brutal period of life, bouncing from falling in love with a beautiful girl named Emily (Bravo), to joining the army, to coming back and dealing with some horrifying PTSD with an increasingly dangerous range of substances. And with drugs comes crime and with crime comes a life he probably never expected to see himself living. His beloved Emily is the only person, place or thing that seems able to bring some sense of joy in the world, but this story is far from being a romance. It’s a grim look at how one decision can cause a domino effect and take someone’s life a completely different direction.
Bravo and Holland carry this film extremely successfully, and it made me excited to watch their careers carry on from here. The acting is incredibly solid, making the highs and the lows seem equally vivid, and their chemistry believable and attention-grabbing. At no point was I not invested in them being together. When we’re seeing a life become worse and worse, filled with robberies, dope and withdrawal symptoms, it’s something incredible to still be somehow charmed by the relationship in the center of it all. In that same vein, the makeup and costuming departments also deserve accolades for making two very beautiful people look convincingly like they’ve hit rock bottom.
My biggest issue with Cherry is it’s length. At almost two and a half hours, it’s almost too brutal to handle in one sitting. Between the war, the drugs and the crime, you find yourself yearning for just a moment of light in between it all that seems just out of reach. It also seemed to change tone and style part of the way through. It starts out with some fourth-wall-breaking narration and occasional looks to camera, but that is lost as it goes on. Maybe that’s intentional to match the trajectory of the story, but with a big choice like that, it ends up coming off oddly when it vanishes abruptly. I think we could have gotten some more interesting perspective keeping that steady as it went along. However, what we do get are two stellar lead performances, and that is definitely a good enough reason for me for this movie to exist.