Under the Cherry Moon

I first saw this when I was 9 years old, and I have to admit...even at that age, I knew a good movie when I saw one. And this was the best I ever saw at the time. Prince really gives a wonderful performance as the sensual gigolo Christopher Tracy. When he unexpectedly falls in love with rich heiress Mary Sharon, brilliantly played by Kristen Scott Thomas, thats when things start to get interesting. Key phrase: "WRECKA STOWE!!!"

This must be one of the most mocked films ever, widely considered a joke. I think it was Prince's narcissistic and effeminate character that bothered audiences. The film is undeniably silly, but good and quite effective, but with a quirky quality that pushes it into the cult realm. An example is the scene in which Tracy and Tricky (Prince and Jerome Benton) meet Tracy's refined love interest at a posh restaurant and grill her: "Where do you go if you want to get a Sam Cooke album?" Tricky holds up a sign reading "Wrecka Stow" and finally, writhing in discomfort, she gets it and reluctantly answers, "the record store." Believe it or not, the film is well put together, each scene memorable in its own way and a climax that might make you cry. I've never seen a film quite like it, because (like all cult movies), it takes place in a desirable alternate world - one in which gender and race boundaries are blurred.

I grew up watching Black and White romances with utterly charming leading men and hopelessly beautiful women who fall in love in a space and time that doesn't exist in the real world. I miss that element from modern movies. Although a tad bit inept as a film-maker, Prince more than adequately conveys mood, sensuality, humor, glamour, and plain fun in this HIGHLY stylized B&W movie. He captured the capriciousness of old B&W studio films that were totally star driven. He gets away with it all because HE IS PRINCE.

Prince fans hated with movie and album. For me, the reverse was true. It was this film and this soundtrack that turned me into a Prince fan. When I want a good laugh and a poignant cry, I pop in this movie and remember "sometimes it snows in April".

First off, very few 10's and/or 1's exist, so those reviews should be taken with a grain of salt IMO. Even as a massive Prince fan, I can't, in good conscience, go any higher than an 8 here.

I never quite understood why this movie got such bad reviews, but maybe that's because I am a Prince fan who always enjoyed the subtle campy comedy of Prince, even in his live performances. This type of thing was always present between Price and Morris Day for example. I think most people just wanted/expected another Purple Rain, but the beauty of Princes' creativity was that he was not formulaic and never did the same thing twice... he reinvented himself on every album and project.

If you aren't a true Prince fan, maybe skip this one, but if you enjoyed the fun comedic side of Prince, you will find plenty of light hearted fun and laughs here ;)

I know a lot of people I talk to didn't like this film, but I thought it was great! Maybe one must be a big admirer of Prince's work to appreciate it or not be bothered by it being in black and white. Personally, I think it was better than 'Purple Rain', which probably was only as successful as it was due to the concert footage. Compare the acting to 'Under the Cherry Moon' and it was awful. In 'Cherry Moon', Prince and Jerome Benton were hilarious together! It was a half decent storyline, but their humor was so ridiculous, it was hilarious! I tend to find the silly stuff funny, and that's partly why I loved this film. It was so silly that it was funny!! Well, I also love Prince and his music. This film was like a modern, comedic twist to classic romance films. The ending was kind of lame, but overall I think the film was great! The film may be in black and white, but yet it's very colorful!