Hey folks, Harry here with a look at CHERISH with the lovely Robin Tunney and the cool as all hell Tim Blake Nelson, whom I am a HUGE fan of. From the sound of it, this looks to be a pretty good little musical thriller type of thingee with laughs. Let's give a listen to Un Chien Andalou to see how it played...
Greetings,
I just saw the film CHERISH at the Minneapolis International Film Festival. It was screened at the Heights theater on the periphery of Minneapolis (one of the top three best cinema houses in the entire state, btw). I had read that the film has made the rounds at numerous film festivals and I felt obligated to see it because of the presence of Robin Tunney and Tim Blake Nelson. A gradual release is imminent in the next few weeks, so naturally I figured that I should share my views concerning the project via this review.
If you are even a marginal fan of Robin Tunney you will dig CHERISH. I have been a fan of hers since I saw her in that crappy witch movie in the mid 90's. This flick is irrefutable proof that her talent has been wasted time and time again in twaddle like END OF DAYS, SUPERNOVA, and VERTICAL LIMIT. Even if CHERISH doesn't totally succeed with flying colors, it's on the fringe of being a masterpiece compared to some of her previous works. She carries the entire film and makes it look effortless. Her range vacillates from deadpan comedy, physical comedy, pathos, fear, and fierce determination.
In CHERISH, she plays an insecure animator named Zoe who, after a fun night at the bar with Jason Priestly (!), is put on house arrest after a stalker's attempt to kidnap her goes awry, and she ends up taking the blame for the death of an innocent bystander. I won't go into fine detail about the course of these events out of consideration for those who will see it. Zoe's house arrest is imposed to keep track of her before the inevitable court date, where she could be facing 25-life in prison. Tim Blake Nelson is the guy who is assigned to keep track of her and monitor the confinement ankle bracelet she wears while being secluded in an apartment in downtown hell. He is associated with the police but does not carry a gun, and while he tries to maintain a facade of control and composure, his insecurities are obvious as well. The bulk of the screen time is dedicated to Zoe's life inside the apartment and her rapport with TBN. The ankle alarm is rigged to go off if she travels more than 55 feet from the apartment monitor, and as she continually bends and breaks the rules of her confinement, the rules and regulations become more astringent.
CHERISH is at its best when its sole concern is portraying the quirks and idiosyncracies of the Tunney/Nelson characters. Both actors bring a depth to the characters that is very admirable and highly entertaining.
CHERISH is at its worst when dealing with the ludicrous stalker subplot (which is executed and resolved like a Lifetime movie of the week) and the bureaucratic cops and lawyers who of course will not believe Zoe's story and are reduced to banal cliches (with the exception of Nora Dunn, who adds a little fire to the role of Zoe's attorney).
Although the film is far from perfect, it is a great showcase for Tunney's charisma and tact. A lesser thespian would've faltered, no question about it. I hope that, as a result of CHERISH, RT will get a chance to perform more challenging and complicated roles in works that are made by quality filmmakers. The woman is bona fide, grade A star material.
If you're a fan of O Brother (who isn't?), you already know that TBN is the acme of coolness. I was saddened when he didn't do any singing in this one, but rest assured that he is very good and perfectly complements RT. He does a great job of combining his determination to follow orders with the suppression of the fact that he's madly in love with Zoe.
Overall I would give the film a recommendation, even if the transitions between the real/comedic/endearing stuff and the contrived/pseudo-thriller stuff don't go as smoothly as the filmmaker intended. I'm sure that, when it arrives in your neck of the woods, you will find it infinitely better than most of the movies that are playing at your local thirty screen multiplex which will boast six screens of The Scorpion King. It is a beguiling--albeit frustrating--work that displays the perfectly honed talents of two underrated performers.
Thanks,
Un Chien Andalou
