Cherry

The easy critique to lob at Anthony and Joe Russo’s Cherry is that the filmmakers should stick to making Marvel superhero movies. A more potent and constructive argument is that they might be wise to consider non-MCU projects that try to be two, maybe three things instead of five.

Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Nico Walker — who indeed lived versions of the romance, war story, addiction drama, heist thriller, and, briefly, prison saga depicted onscreen — the film tells an important tale but comes off like a Frankenstein’s monster of well-worn genres with little new to say about any of them.

Playing Cherry’s unnamed protagonist, Tom Holland doesn’t yet have the depth to pull off such a layered role that essentially asks him to go through pieces of Love Story, Jarhead, Requiem for a Dream, The Place Beyond the Pines, and a little Shawshank Redemption over the course of 140 long minutes.

While the introduction of each new genre exercise provides a brief boost to the stale proceedings, the sensation soon fades as it becomes clear that the Russos, screenwriters Jessica Goldberg (Parenthood) and Angela Russo-Otstot (The Shield), and likely Walker don’t have much of note to contribute to these familiar cinematic situations — besides the unstated cumulative awe that one person experienced it all.

Bereft of writing and acting worthy of his talents, Newton Thomas Sigel nevertheless provides top-notch cinematography, without which Cherry might truly be a disaster. His exciting use of drone photography is especially noteworthy, and while the film is unlikely to vie for honors elsewhere in any other category, his recent American Society of Cinematographers Awards is wholly warranted.

Grade: C-plus. Rated R. Available to stream via Apple TV+ starting March 12

(Photo: Apple TV+)