Cherish

Rated R for language.
Runtime: 99 min


Last week was a dark, gloomy and rainy week. I did something that I haven’t done in a long time. That was, I watched a movie in the middle of the afternoon on television. It was a movie that I don’t even recall hearing about previously and I’m glad I decided to watch it. For about the first ten minutes, I was rethinking my decision and had my finger “on the ready” over the remote in anticipation of doing a little surfing. The longer I hesitated, the more difficult it became to actually leave it. I finally gave in, set down the remote and continued to watch “Cherish” directed and written by Finn Taylor in 2004. I was quickly captivated first by the cinematography and editing. It was visually interesting, with colors emphasized early in the movie which seemed to “tone down” through out the movie. In the very beginning it seems to be either vividly colorful or dark and moody. By the time the movie ends, the feel is more like “real life”.

My first question was, “This is a comedy?” as it was billed. It was darkly amusing, but no “belly laughs” and the comedic start fades away to become more suspenseful until the serious lead-in to the conclusion. While the plot has some holes big enough to drop a house through and there is no sense of time, this movie works thanks to Tunney, Nelson, music and cinematography, nobody cares?

The central figure is the captivating Robin Tunney who plays Zoe, who is the geeky, looks-like-she-shopped-from-the- dumpster, young woman who hides behind her computer and her earphones which is almost incessantly playing music from her favorite station KXCH Cherish. KXCH plays a mix of music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s from which the soundtrack is brilliantly derived. It is the music that should take second billing to Robin Tunney. Zoe has a very vivid and romantic imagination, often associated with the songs of the 80’s in which she loses herself and finds the love for which she has been searching.

Zoe crashes a party that her co-workers have made a special effort to exclude her. Among those at the party is her new love interest Andrew played by Jason Priestly. She and Andrew seem to make a connection and then the unthinkable happens. Without giving away too much, there is an abduction ending in the death of a cop and with Zoe being the only one to blame for vehicular homicide of that police officer and with a blood level double the legal limit, Zoe finds herself incarcerated and charged with the death of the officer killed. Even her attorney won’t listen to her pleas of innocence and taking into consideration that Zoe could not last in prison while waiting for a trial, she is placed under house arrest, but not her own. It is a warehouse-loft reminiscent of Jennifer Beal’s in Flashdance. She is put on the “bracelet monitor” which is a monitor on her ankle, which is set to go off any time she leaves any area farther than the further-most distance in the apartment.

Tim Blake Nelson (O, Brother, Where Art Though) who puts in a solid performance as Daly, the man who must check on her frequently and maintains her monitoring system. What starts as an adversarial relationship gradually becomes cordial, then respective and trusting as it is necessary for Daly to visit Zoe regularly to check on the equipment. By the end of the movie, they have developed a real fondness for each other. It would be hard to say it was love, at least mutually, though Daly is obviously suffering from that condition and one is still unsure of Zoe’s feelings except that she runs the “extra mile” to keep both herself and Daly out of trouble and she shows a respectful fondness for him before the movie ends.

Robin Tunney is captivating on screen and makes a transformation from the girl at the beginning of the movie to the young lady who breaks out of her fantasy world and begins to “bloom” as she becomes more pleasingly feminine with a de-emphasis on her “weird/trendy” look to that of a very lovely and entrancing young woman who takes her life in her hands rather than waiting for good fortune to drop in her lap. Time is not measurable in this film. It is not possible to know if it has been weeks or months between scenes and Zoe spends much of her time roller skating around her loft apartment, listens to her music and manages to make friends of the teen “trouble makers” who travel beneath her window as well as, a disabled man who lives at the base of the stairs which she

So, the movie that begins with Zoe trying to live out a fantasy life in a real and cruel world, winds up being a real character in a world that is much more interesting than her fantasies.

The other star in this movie, however, is the music.

Following is a list is the soundtrack:

"Cherish"
Written by Terry Kirkman
Performed by The Association

"I Melt with You"
Written by Grey, Walker, Conroy, McDowell, Brown
Performed by Modern English

"I'm Not in Love"
Written by Graham Gouldman & Michael Stewart
Performed by 10cc

"When I'm Alone"
Written by Frankie Beverly
Performed by Maze

"Seasons in the Sun"
Written by Jacques Romain Brel and Rod McKuen
Performed by Terry Jacks

"Tainted Love"
Written by Edward Cobb
Performed by Soft Cell


"Don't You Want Me"
Written by Oakey, Phil Wright, Adrian Callis
Performed by Human League

"Happy Together"
Written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon
Performed by The Turtles

"Breakdown"
Written by
Performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

"Private Eyes"
Written by Daryl Hall, Sara Allen, Joana Allen, Warren Posh
Performed by Daryl Halland and John Oates

"I Bet You Never Knew That I Followed You"
Written by J. McMickin and D. Glover
Performed by Togetherness

"You're the Best Thing"
Written by Paul Weller
Performed by The Style Council

"Fascination"
Written by Oakey, Phil Wright, Adrian Callis
Performed by Human League

"Get Up and Move"
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Performed by The Impressions

"Sister Golden Hair"
Written by Gerald Beckley
Performed by America

"I Only Have Eyes for You"
Written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren
Performed by The Flamingos

"She's Gone"
Written and Performed by Daryl Hall and John Oates
Used by permission of Unichappell Music Inc. (BMI)

"Down Easy"
Written by Noe Venable
Performed by Noe Venable Trio

"Look Luck"
Written by Noe Venable
Performed by Noe Venable Trio

"I Love You"
Written by Derek Holt
Performed by Climax Blues Band


Final Analysis

Cherish is a dark comedy/drama that follows an endearing Zoe from geeky, isolated and socially challenged to a beautiful young confident and ingenious woman with wonderful problem solving skills. The movie is a visual treat and the sound track of familiar songs and artists’ from the 70’s and 80’s works a magical patchwork of cohesive transitions through the struggles of a stalked, falsely accused Zoe who learns to enlist the assistance of other “misfits” and form relationships in the worst of situations, when she was unable to do so in her “normal” world. I would recommend this movie to anyone.










Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age