Movie Review: Tom Holland's 'Cherry' Explodes!

Cherry from Apple TV

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Hey there, Gal Pals (and Guy Pals too),

As we know, my Friday night was spent in front of the television enjoying the premier of Tom Holland's latest flick 'Cherry' on Apple TV. The film is based on the book of the same name by Nico Walker. Mr. Walker served as a medic in Iraq and served time for armed bank robbery. He was released early in 2019. Having said that, 'Cherry' is more of a biographical film than a fictional crime drama. The same can likely be said for the book, although I've not yet read it.

Warning: My review below contains spoilers, but even with them, you should thoroughly enjoy the film.

In the film, Tom Holland plays the titular character Cherry. The story starts off rather fun and simply. Cherry is a pill-head who hangs out with a crowd of party boys. He falls in love with a local student named Emily (played by Ciara Bravo) and the two have 'relations.' Emily begins to fall for Cherry as well, but she had a rather tough upbringing and is afraid of getting close to people. Because of this, she announces to him that she's leaving to attend school in Canada. This leaves Cherry heartbroken, but when he expects her to go, he finds her at his place, and their romance is rekindled.

The two marry - all too young - and in order to support her, Cherry enlists in the Army, where he goes through basic training to become a medic. He and his fellow fresh soldiers are sent to Iraq, where he witnesses some horrifying things that change him from the fun-loving young man he was. When he is finally released from the Army, it's with the Medal of Valor and with a massive case of PTSD. In order to deal with the effects of the PTSD, Cherry turns to the life of an addict and brings Emily into that lifestyle with him.

The film shows how dangerous and expensive drug addiction can be, and the debt with dealers quickly begins to mount. Stuck financially between a rock and a hard place, Cherry commits a bank robbery, which allows him to clear away his debt. It does not however clear him of his addiction, and the debt swiftly returns. This brings about a back and forth motion of bank robbery, debt, bank robbery, debt, and so on until things eventually get so bad that there's only one surefire way out for him - to get caught.

'Cherry' deals with the effects of addiction in the most horrific ways. A major character suffers an overdose that nearly leads to death. Another character is shot during a robbery and dies; his body, abandoned under a bridge. And Cherry is made to pay a price for his actions. Fortunately, the price also leads to as happy of an ending as this story could possibly have.

Clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes long, 'Cherry' is worth the ride on the emotional roller coaster. Tom Holland gives a top notch performance, which is highlighted even more by the characters surrounding him. Ciara Bravo flawlessly demonstrates her supreme range of acting abilities in a role that demanded a true cinematic artist to pull off. Nico Walker's story is a true testament to how a person can literally reach rock bottom and still find salvation, redemption, and a second chance at life. The resolve at the end is fully uplifting, and Tom Holland pulled it off flawlessly. I highly recommend this film for anyone seeking a good crime drama, an intriguing true to life story, and even to those suffering with addiction.

If you've seen 'Cherry' or if you've read Mr. Walker's book, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please share them in the comments section and let's open the discussion!

Much love, Jenn 💋