Un amour de docteur

"Cherry" tells of a naive, unmarried virgin who decides to have a baby but isn't quite sure how to go about it. This easy going little sleeper is full of quirky characters and tongue-in-cheek situational humor. Fresh, fun, mold breaking stuff, I happened to really enjoy this flick...for whatever that's worth. Recommended for lovers of romantic comedy who want something different.

Once you agree to suspend belief over a few minor points in the script(that the beautiful main character would still be a virgin at 29 and that anyone can pick up orphans off the street and keep them for example) you can curl up with your date and enjoy this breezy romantic comedy. Leila Sweet has rejected love because she was stood up at the altar 12 years earlier. As her sister, Evie,prepares for her wedding, Leila realizes her life is empty and seeks to have a child wihout the muss and fuss of finding someone to fall in love with first. Everyone from her gay uncle and his delightfully cheerful better half, Mammy, to the quirky characters who fill her muffin shop, try to fix her up. The uncles (Gil Rogers and David McCallum) have some of the best lines in the show and are worth a whole movie unto themselves as are the cafe patrons and the dim but likable waitresses. As Leila flounders along in her quest for a baby, she encounters a struggling clown who pops over in a variety of costumes to win her heart. He's charming and a nice guy but he's not the "one" Her gynecologist, Dr. Beverly Kirk, has the hots for her and struggles to keep his cool as he attempts to guide her through her quest for a child. Along the way Leila rescues some kids who are literally dumped on her doorstep. As the wedding plays itself out, Leila realizes she's gotten it all wrong and completely blows her sister's wedding out of the water. All ends well of course or it wouldn't be a comedy. The supporting characters and the New York scenery alone would make it worth a rent. Curl up with a muffin and someone eccentric and watch it.

The film is somewhat entertaining, but the greatest feature is Shalom Harlow's laughable performance. It has been 4 years since this movie was released and hopefully Harlow has gone through more training. Perhaps she should stick to the more worldly, somewhat corruptive characters that she has generated in other performances.

It's almost pointless to recap the plot (something about a shy, unwed 29 year-old who runs a coffee shop and wants to have a baby). None of that matters because the only reason to watch this movie is to see the very smooth, likable charm of Shalom Harlow. Yikes! She's cast as Leila Sweet who has the titular cherry (still a virgin) and radiates the kind of groovy disposition that makes you want to sip coffee and scotch and listen to some vintage Beth Orton or Stone Roses. She's also got a smooth, natural acting rhythm that conjures an image of a young Emmanuelle Beart or latter-day Winona Ryder. Along with Michelle Hicks (star of last year's Twin Falls), Shalom is one one of the very few models who can make that transition from fashion to cinema.

But be warned: there's more than a few hokey plot devices that prod the movie along (she advertises for a sperm donor, hires a jive talking chef, weds her gynecologist, etc). But there's also more than a few tender, genuine screen moments such as her recurring encounters with Donovan Leitch (prospective donor?) and David McCallum (surrogate father figure). The best moments - easily worth the price of the rental - are when Shalom and Donovan get cozy and trade slurred barbs about the meaning of romance. Nice, wish there were more of that/them. The final word? Terrible title for such a sweet movie.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie. I thought that Jake Weber did an excellent job as the shy but obviously love bitten ob/gyn, Dr. Beverly Kirk. He was sweet, a little wistful but brave enough to keep trying because he really felt that he was meeting a very good thing [Leila Sweet]. While I wish the producers hadn't cut some of the scenes where he gave a little more personal detail of his character while at the bar, I think viewers will still be able to see that Jake makes a perfect leading love interest.