Under the Cherry Moon
- 1986
- Tous publics
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
4K
YOUR RATING
Two con artist brothers attempt to swindle a soon-to-be wealthy heiress, but things get complicated when one falls in love with her.Two con artist brothers attempt to swindle a soon-to-be wealthy heiress, but things get complicated when one falls in love with her.Two con artist brothers attempt to swindle a soon-to-be wealthy heiress, but things get complicated when one falls in love with her.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 4 nominations total
- Directors
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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 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 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!!!"
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".
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".
Under the Cherry Moon (1986)
** (out of 4)
Christopher (Prince) and Tricky (Jerome Benton) are brothers working Miami Beach where they seduce women for their money. Their latest target is Mary (Kristin Scott Thomas), a woman who just turned twenty one and is about to inherit fifty million dollars. Tricky soon finds himself falling in love but the girl's rich father isn't going to go for their relationship.
UNDER THE CHERRY MOON was released to very little noise and it was pretty much forgotten the minute it hit theaters. I doubt many people in 1986 were wanting to see a B&W movie and I doubt even more that they wanted to see anything other than PURPLE RAIN 2. This film has gained a pretty bad reputation over the years but I honestly didn't find it to be that bad. Yes there are all sorts of problems but I thought there was still some good stuff as well.
For starters, the cinematography is downright beautiful and I thought it really captured a fairy tale like quality. The B&W images are perfectly used to highlight the beaches and the sexy locations. I also thought there were some rather funny moments scattered throughout the picture. As far as Prince goes, his acting had certainly gotten a little better since PURPLE RAIN. Benton is decent in his supporting role but I thought Kristin Scott Thomas and Steven Berkoff were quite good.
I'm going to guess that Prince wanted to do some sort of romantic drama that had the flare of the 1930s. This probably explains it being shot in B&W and they even name drop Bela Lugosi in the picture. The biggest problem with the movie is that the story itself is just way too predictable and I'd argue that there's really not any drama and the ending certainly doesn't hit like I'm sure Prince wanted it to. Still, there are much worse movies out there than this.
** (out of 4)
Christopher (Prince) and Tricky (Jerome Benton) are brothers working Miami Beach where they seduce women for their money. Their latest target is Mary (Kristin Scott Thomas), a woman who just turned twenty one and is about to inherit fifty million dollars. Tricky soon finds himself falling in love but the girl's rich father isn't going to go for their relationship.
UNDER THE CHERRY MOON was released to very little noise and it was pretty much forgotten the minute it hit theaters. I doubt many people in 1986 were wanting to see a B&W movie and I doubt even more that they wanted to see anything other than PURPLE RAIN 2. This film has gained a pretty bad reputation over the years but I honestly didn't find it to be that bad. Yes there are all sorts of problems but I thought there was still some good stuff as well.
For starters, the cinematography is downright beautiful and I thought it really captured a fairy tale like quality. The B&W images are perfectly used to highlight the beaches and the sexy locations. I also thought there were some rather funny moments scattered throughout the picture. As far as Prince goes, his acting had certainly gotten a little better since PURPLE RAIN. Benton is decent in his supporting role but I thought Kristin Scott Thomas and Steven Berkoff were quite good.
I'm going to guess that Prince wanted to do some sort of romantic drama that had the flare of the 1930s. This probably explains it being shot in B&W and they even name drop Bela Lugosi in the picture. The biggest problem with the movie is that the story itself is just way too predictable and I'd argue that there's really not any drama and the ending certainly doesn't hit like I'm sure Prince wanted it to. Still, there are much worse movies out there than this.
When I first saw this movie I was expecting to see a really awful movie. Well, it has many weaknesses but it's also a beautifully shot, light hearted romantic comedy which is at times extremely hilarious. It even holds up after repeated viewing. So many funny and quotable scenes "The Wrecka Stow", "Tell him it's chinese", "It's the mum!", "How much money you make? Damn, couldn't you buy some cologne, man?!" and it goes on and on. And of course the soundtrack is superb. Sure, you'll have to like prince at least a bit 'cos you'll getting a lot of him (being the director, actor and composer) but once you can forgive his little faults (which I think is *not* the extreme vanity stuff cos I think that was done so over the top on purpose for fun) you'll be entertained for sure and Prince/Jerome Benton make a great comedy duo as Christopher Tracy and 'Tricky'. When things are getting more serious and dramatic it loses it's strengths a bit, but still I found this a very enjoyable movie.
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie's world premiere was held at the Centennial Twin Theater in Sheridan, Wyoming. The evening included an afterparty and a forty-five-minute private concert by Star and Director Prince at the local Holiday Inn. Local resident Lisa Barber won the right to host the premiere when she was the ten thousandth caller in MTV's "Prince Under the Cherry Moon" contest. Several cast members attended, including Prince, Joni Mitchell, and Ray Parker, Jr.
- GoofsThe handwriting "Wrecka Stow" on the napkin changes between the restaurant and the bedroom where Mary Sharon is holding the napkin on her bed.
- SoundtracksAn Honest Man
Written and Performed by Prince and The Revolution
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Under the Cherry Moon - Unter dem Kirschmond
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $10,090,429
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,150,924
- Jul 6, 1986
- Gross worldwide
- $10,090,429
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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