Cherish

"Cherish", directed by Finn Taylor, is worth a look because it's much better than some other more pretentious movies that fared much better, be it because hype, or wider distribution. The talent gathered here is young and wonderful and the great sound track, mostly from the 80s works extremely well.

We first meet Zoe, an insecure young person, as she comes to work in an office where she sticks out like a sore thumb. Zoe is an original in her own way, but she tries too hard to fit in. Her mostly sophisticated coworkers reject her on the basis of looks. Zoe is heavily into music. We see her dialing her local radio station to ask the D.J. to play favorites, which he always has ready. Her 'radio' name is Natasha!

Something horrible happens to Zoe after a party. A policeman is killed and all points out to Zoe being the culprit. Thus begins a house arrest in which Zoe is made to wear an ankle strap that will monitor her movements. Daly, the police department in charge of this operation, becomes fascinated by this young woman. Suddenly, this man will be seeing things differently as he falls for Zoe in a no-win situation.

The viewer is in for a treat because of the immensely winning performance of Robin Tunney. She is a fantastic presence as Zoe. We get a feeling of claustrophobia as we watch her confined to a seedy loft for a crime she has nothing to do with. Tim Blake Nelson, who we have seen on plays in the New York stage, makes an incredible contribution to this story that is set in the Bay area.

"Cherish" will win anyone with an open heart.

A young woman,Zoe,is placed under electronic house arrest for a crime she did not commit. The eccentric and energetic `Cherish, ' written and directed by Finn Taylor (`Dream with the Fishes') has the virtues of romance and thriller with a good dose of odd love. It is by far superior to any other in its multi-genre this year.

Robin Tunney plays Zoe as a cross between Frankie Potente in `Run, Lola, Run' and an updated Audrey Hepburn in `Breakfast at Tiffany's.' She indeed runs for her life, in a sequence clearly influenced by `Lola,' and she hangs out on an apartment terrace wistfully looking at life as Audrey did almost a half a century ago.

Tunney is natural and attractive dealing with the loneliness of exile and a possible romance with the rep for the electronic imprisoning device.

Her antagonist is a male version of Clint Eastwood's nemesis in `Play Misty for Me'-a cunning loner whose affection for music and Zoe is pathological. This insanity allows for an eclectic soundtrack rich with the songs of the ‘50's and 60's and an emphasis on the eccentric contemporary Noe Venable, perfectly suited to the situation.

And the music is a star-the pop lyrics give meaning and nostalgia in a world where Zoe is confined by four walls but liberated by her imagination to become a passably good roller skater and lovable neighborhood oddity. Association hit "Cherish" is the titular song whose demented lyrics reflect the antagonist's sick obsession with a girl he can never have.

Confinement has released her imagination. Finally, an intelligent movie this summer to share the spotlight with Hugh grant's `About a Boy.'

This is one of my favorite independent films. Yeah, the storyline may not be original, but Robin Tunney and Tim Blake Nelson do such a good job that you just love their characters (at least I did) and you want everything to turn out well for them. When I saw this in the theater originally, I loved the soundtrack, as it fit the storyline so well. The 80s songs featured are so cheesy and they fit the stalker theme. This film is so obviously low budget, but the actors involved made the story interesting, and I got so wrapped up in the story that I didn't care about the "little things." The DVD is well made, with an entertaining commentary track and an interesting "making of" featurette. What more could a film geek want?

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's the type of flick that you want to see again, and real soon, because you have the sense you missed a lot the first time around.

The use of music is huge in this movie. Although completely different, I am drawing up memories of High Fidelity. Both movies feature music as its own entity or major theme in the story, not just as a backdrop to help tell the story. As a music lover, I just dig this.

Robin Tunney was phenomenal as Zoe. I think even if I didn't enjoy the other characters and the plot so much, this movie would be worth seeing just for her performance. She did an excellent job of portraying Zoe's journey. Her performance never felt pushed or strained; she just WAS Zoe, from the first scene to the last. Of course, this is what actors are paid for! I just felt she did an extraordinary job of capturing the character.

I love the way this movie was presented. It didn't abuse, or rely on, special effects. Rather, they were used at just the right time to help tell the story.

This movie has just enough of everything you want in a movie to make it suitable for all the types of moods you might be in when you see it!

I happened upon this movie and loved it! It's nice to see a movie that's really worth your time. It was so simply done - taking place for the most part in one room. It didn't require big explosions, etc. I think when a movie like this is good, it really says something about what it takes to make a good film. I'm not familiar with the actor who played Daly. But I will look for more of him. In the beginning of the movie, the Daly character is not attractive. But as his character and relationship to Zoe progresses, you just love him. I just wish that he and Zoe could have ended up saying goodbye or something. I wanted something more for him. I loved it!!!!!