Cherry is a film that could have been something special. Instead, it is a film that tries too hard to be something it is not and leaves the audience with a long, boring film that can only be described as average. It stars Tom Holland as Nico Walker- a college student turned solider turned drug addict and PTSD victim turned criminal and bank robber. The transitions between the different parts of his life aren’t that bad. During his college years, Nico falls for Emily (Ciara Bravo); a girl in his class whom he instantly gains a liking for. They proceed to start dating each other, and all goes well until Emily tells Nico she is leaving to study in Canada. In retaliation from this, Nico proceeds to join the army, and once he comes back home he is a changed man. Holland does a great job of capturing and becoming this character. He is the highlight of the film- which says a lot about the rest of it. The rest of the supporting cast are mainly forgettable, from Niko’s wartime comrades, to the contacts he builds when he later gets addicted to drugs. Bravo is somewhat memorable, and her character plays a pivotal role. Although her work is far from anything award worthy or even notable. One of my favourite parts of the film is the section in Iraq. I was really drawn to the intensity of the action and the pacing and it was easily the best part. Towards the end, I also did not like how they attempted to age Nico and Emily during the final scenes. I understand the limitations but something about the characters appearances just seemed really odd to me. However, once I was done with the film I thought about the opening scene, where Nico was and where he ended up. Something about it just made sense. His development didn’t feel forced or unnecessary and although I was not a fan of how we got there, the start and end points seemed fitting and logical for his character. Overall, Cherry is an attempt at a film it just isn’t. The film would have worked a thousand times better if it were a slower, less crammed character study of Nico Walker and unfortunately that just isn’t what this film is.
