Cherrybomb

Throughout this movie I kept having flashes to this last season of Skins. The whole Freddie/Effy/Cook theme was played out a bit differently, but with the same type of terrible results. Granted, Malachy and Luke had a more respect for each other, but Michelle was the same sort of Effy character. Other than that the movie had the same type of a feel. Sex, drugs, and bit of violence sprinkled together as a coming of age story.

The characters were well played and each had their own problems and envy of the other's lives for one reason or another. Robert Sheehan was commendable in his role as a struggling young man only looking for acceptance and a family above all else. And that's seems to be what made his relationship with Malachy perfect. Sheehan played the perfect balance of needing others while being forced in to a role of independence that was obviously unwanted.

Rupert Grint also did a admirable job in his role of smothered young man looking to spread his wings and be himself, a role he seems to find himself playing again and again lately. He fights with his deep rooted ideals of how people should be treated against his behavior when he tries to get what he wants. Grint seems to find a happy medium in this character and makes him feel true and at time conflicted. My only qualm with his performance is the accent seemed to slip at times and I felt it was unbelievable.

When I walked into the movie I certainly thought I was going to see something much harsher and quite different, the plot summery and trailer were quite deceiving, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and expect much more from these actors. The story line wasn't detailed, but it never tends to be with these types of movies. What's left unsaid speaks louder than anything that could be written.

A pretty girl enters in the lives of two friends who might fight one against the other to see who'll be with her in "Cherrybomb". The good guy Malachy (Rupert Grint) and the bad boy Luke (Robert Sheehan) are these opposites forces who work well together; the first is a responsible student who also works in a gym run by Crilly (James Nesbitt), father of the sexy girl; the second is totally out of control, who lives the sex, drugs and rock n'roll motto ,never knowing what to do with his life. Then comes Michelle (Kimberley Nixon) who joins them in wild parties, night outs, provoking both of these guys who are so up for her.

The story follows in a well humored manner, sometimes a little bit depressive (specially concerning about Luke's family with his constantly drunken dad) but as we are told right from the start, the trio is heading to tragic events.

First thing that came to my mind while watching "Cherrybomb" was a subtle correlation with "Something Wild" (1986) with a certain extra thing but never getting to the same level. Here, there's a wild girl messing with the life of a good boy, teasing a bad one and giving lots of trouble to her father, who is trying to adapt his routine to be with her since the mom doesn't want anything with her. I guess one could say this is a teen version of Demme's film but without the energy, the smartness and the rich soundtrack of the classic American film. It lacks a certain appeal in the story, one that makes you deeply care about the characters involved (completed with a lack of answers at the conclusion).

And if the movie worths a view it's mainly of its great cast of actors giving their usual treat which is always good. Grint never fails delivering the nice guy performance; Sheehan has an born ability to play troubled characters who has an dark yet hilarious sense of humor constantly thrown on the other characters much for our delight (the best of show, really! Plus, he's very cute!); and the girl has the right quality to make those boys go nuts for her doing all she wants them to do.

It's not special as it seems to be nor funny, dangerous and bold as it could be, or even longer (screentime was needed). If you need entertainment and some laughs this is the film you look for, complete; more than those goals you won't get, it's just half right with its message. 8/10

Luke (Robert Sheehan) is a drug dealer following his addicted petty criminal father's footsteps. His best friend is the straight-laced Malachy (Rupert Grint) who works at the local community center. Then the daughter of the center's manager shows up and they both fall for her. Michelle (Kimberley Nixon) left London to move in with her dad who is sleeping with Michelle's friend 16 year old Donna. The two young men compete for Michelle's attention and Michelle's daddy issues create drama and mayhem.

Robert Sheehan is great at these types of roles. He is both brash and sensitive. He has a real vulnerability with his characters. Rupert Grint is still trying to work out of his Harry Potter character. Kimberley Nixon seems a bit too old to play a teenager. The movie tries but doesn't quite have the edge. It's a little quirky but nothing funny. It's not great but I like the two actors. They're enough to keep me watching.

If you're looking for a truly forgettable film to fall asleep to, then you'd be hard pushed to beat this slow, soporific piece of celluloid...

The plot plods painfully and predictably along at a pace more suited to a party political broadcast than what is laughably described as a thriller.

The acting wouldn't seem out of place on a TV shopping channel or an ultra-low budget kids TV show. Admittedly, the cast didn't exactly have a whole bunch to work with: the dialogue is nothing short of dismal and the characters are so two dimensional and clichéd that it renders any empathy towards the protagonists nigh on impossible.

The ending is not thrilling or exciting and overall, the story fails to impress.

There is plenty of smoking, so if you are into watching people smoke and tell each other to F -OFF, then this is for you, however I was unimpressed.

Cherrybomb is a song title and funnily enough, I just watched the movie Runaways before I watched this one. The song also features in short scene in this movie. And the movie has some raw power to it, as the song (and the group that sang it) has! But the movie is more than that. It is also more than the beginning suggests.

While you might not entirely relate to the characters, you hopefully still will feel for them. The performances are more than stellar and everyone of the characters has his/her flaws. It's not a perfect movie, but it has some strong points and is made with passion (the actors and the crew involved), which is apparent on screen.