Cherry

I finally had the chance to see Cherry last night and, as a huge Tom Holland fan, I was really looking forward to it.  Unfortunately, it is an absolute mess.  It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Nico Walker which details his alienation from society and ultimate redemption.  The narrative is told by Cherry (Holland), a stand-in for Walker, through a series of chapters and an epilogue (each with a red saturated title card) which roughly correspond to his time as a college student who works menial jobs and then meets and eventually marries Emily (Ciara Bravo), his time in basic training after a temporary breakup with Emily prompts him to enlist in the army, his time in Iraq where he has several horrifying experiences as a medic, his time back home immediately after his deployment where he suffers from PTSD and becomes addicted to OxyContin, his time as a bank robber as he attempts to fund his and Emily's heroin addiction, and his time in prison where he detoxes and recovers.  The story is incredibly compelling with a riveting performance from Holland but, stylistically, the movie is all over the place without any sort of cohesion to hold the narrative together (each chapter could have belonged to a different movie).  Cherry's expletive-laden stream-of-consciousness narration, which sometimes breaks the fourth wall, comes and goes without any rhyme or reason.  There are many jarring tonal shifts created by some truly bizarre music choices, such as using Puccini as Cherry is arrested and "Disco Inferno" as he comes home from Iraq, and some ineffective attempts at humor, such as using "Shitty Bank" instead of "Citibank."  The camera work is very inconsistent because the Russo Brothers use just about every technique taught in film school to prove that they are serious directors.  Everything is overdone and used for effect rather than to serve the narrative.  Even the color palette shifts from scene to scene with a gritty sepia tone one moment and then garish primary color filters in the next.  Finally, I'm not sure that this movie even has a point.  Is it supposed to be a criticism of an economic system that gives young people so few choices?  Is it an indictment of war and the way in which returning veterans are treated?  Is it a call to action over the opioid epidemic in this country?  Or is it an attack on society as a whole?  My main takeaway is that prison seems to be the only option for some people to get the treatment and vocational training they need to become successful and even this part of the story, the emotional payout for sticking it out with Cherry, is told in a matter of minutes with a montage of prison life and a cloying score.  It is a very unsatisfying resolution.  I really like Tom Holland (I think he has the potential to be great but he definitely needs to pick better material) and I wanted to like this movie but it is such a mess that I can't recommend it.