There’s a LOT of movie in Cherry. Almost too much movie.
In an effort to help make each chapter or segment stand apart from the others, the Russos brothers almost treat those moments in Cherry as experiments in separate genres, so while Cherry feels cohesive, it also immerses you in a film-school approach to such recognizable visual aesthetics as “the hazy first love,” “the twitchy drug opera,” or “the pulse-racing bank robbery.” These are all moments in Cherry and Emily’s journey, but they could have easily stood alone as individual films of their own, with additional time and development. Cherry’s military enrollment and Boot Camp hell really could be a standalone detour story, with Holland and the Russos fully embracing everything that comes with a young, wayward man attempting to find purpose in military service, but enduring torture and earning only PTSD for his troubles.
