Tom Holland is probably quickly beginning to realize that Marvel movies won’t involve him forever. Fortunately for him, he has the acting chops to branch out and at his age, it’s wise to begin doing so to avoid being pigeonholed by the industry. Arguably, he’s one of the top actors in the whole franchise anyway. He was showcasing his talent in various other projects before taking on the role of Spiderman, and he really seems to care about the work. It’s probably because of this factor that the Russo brothers decided to cast him in their latest movie Cherry.
Cherry is about a young soldier who struggles to re-join society after having dropped out of college, joined the army, seen the horrors of Iraq
The movie is one of Apple TV’s latest, fresh off the conveyer belt of projects they intend to keep releasing this year. As a production, the entire movie hasn’t thus far been met with the greatest of thoughts from the industries ever so opinionated critics. To be fair, much of what’s been said isn’t too far off base either. Although the criticisms, however valid, are not enough to dismiss the movie entirely. Even if as a movie it’s not the most earth shattering piece of art, it’s still an effective awareness builder. Cherry is about a young soldier who struggles to re-join society after having dropped out of college, joined the army, seen the horrors of Iraq, only to return with PTSD to his girlfriend who has almost no idea on how to interact with him anymore. Holland takes the lead along with co-star Ciara Bravo in what is maybe an overly ambitious project, but is still an emotional rollercoaster that will resonate with a select few.
The valid criticism mostly has to do with the Russo’s directing choices and the editing. The cinematography is next level, but the amount of slow motion sequencing as well as the total number of added shots that attempt to provide as much detail as possible slightly detract from the viewing experience. It feels as though there was a need to tell the narrative with an abundance of frames as opposed to keeping things simpler; as this story’s subject matter really sells itself. Apart from that, the performances will be looked back on as some of the most genuinely vulnerable displays of acting that few are able to unveil. Holland and Bravo bring it in every possible way imaginable. They’re fierce, intimate, empathetic, and unwavering in their ability to exude every specific emotional detail that the characters are trying to get across to the audience and with each other.
Do not throw this one away over a few things that could’ve been done better. There is an audience for this movie, and just because some aspects of Cherry could’ve been improved that in no way makes it a bad movie. Apple TV+ is its home, so subscribers might as well see it anyway. To those who are still on the fence, the best way to form an opinion is to disregard the critics, preconceived thoughts about the actors, and even THIS column, and see it.
