Cherrybomb

source: Cherrybomb

Luke (Robert Sheehan) is a drug dealer following his addicted petty criminal father's footsteps. His best friend is the straight-laced Malachy (Rupert Grint) who works at the local community center. Then the daughter of the center's manager shows up and they both fall for her. Michelle (Kimberley Nixon) left London to move in with her dad who is sleeping with Michelle's friend 16 year old Donna. The two young men compete for Michelle's attention and Michelle's daddy issues create drama and mayhem. Robert Sheehan is great at these types of roles. He is both brash and sensitive. He has a real vulnerability with his characters. Rupert Grint is still trying to work out of his Harry Potter character. Kimberley Nixon seems a bit too old to play a teenager. The movie tries but doesn't quite have the edge. It's a little quirky but nothing funny. It's not great but I like the two actors. They're enough to keep me watching.

Sheehan is marvelous in this. All the lead characters were fun to watch. And who doesn't like films about drugs and stealing. Highly recommend this one!

This is basically a story about 2 boys liking the same girl, and how both try to outdo each other to impress her. It's not a new story, but it added a little difference to the common plot - the 2 guys are like magnetic opposites who happen to be best friends. Rupert Grint plays Malachy - a sensible sort who has a close and postcard-normal family and has apparently no serious problems; Robert Sheehan (still good but this is not his best work) is Luke, a drug dealer with an addict father and dealer-boss brother, whom you look at and wonder why he isn't more screwed-up than he already appears to be. Kimberly Nixon is Michelle, the girl they're trying to impress and bed, but her performance was the lousiest of the 3. The first half builds properly. It was fun to see how they tried to outdo each other in order to impress the girl. There was also a bit of family drama (for Luke and Michelle at least) thrown in - something I thought would lead to more exploration in the second half. Alas, the next half of the movie let me down. I couldn't feel more for the characters than the little I already did, and I felt like I was meant to as the film progresses towards its climax. It spent too little time exploring the changing dynamics between the friends, and it failed to convince me how the friends could seemingly be driven apart so easily. The ending wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. A few other things I took issue with: film editing left something to be desired, camera work needed improvement, the film could have been scored better, the actors chosen better (they seemed to be chosen based on their popularity than their suitability for the film). 5.5/10

Like most of you, I am a Harry Potter fan and stumbled upon this movie while seeing what Rupert Grint was up to. I thought he was easily the most talented actor of the trio, and was curious to where his career would go - Emma Watson has modeling and fashion, Dan Radcliffe seems to be doing Broadway and other types of media. Anyway, The movie is centered around two best friends - Malachy (Grint) and Luke (Sheehan). They live a regular yet drug-infused life of a teenager. Malachy is a loved son with responsibility and a job. Luke, however, is the product of a broken home and as a result is left by himself for the most part - fueling the chaos. Malachy's boss' daughter, Michelle, comes to live with him and the two friends immediately fight for her. The love between the friends is obvious throughout the movie, despite frequent fights. Malachy ends up falling for Michelle, and when she reveals she is leaving and therefore cannot start a relationship he works harder for even a moment of love. The ending is pretty surprising, a solid twist. I didn't like the directing at all. Throughout the movie there is white text that flashes across the screen with phrases that don't seem to make sense. Are they the character's thoughts? words? Narrator's hints? It was unnecessary. The writing was pretty good, a lot of things were unnecessary and unexplained, but some can argue that is just a style that was intentional - perhaps even liked by many viewers. The ending sort of drops off, leaving unclear of the fate of the trio. Again, it may be intentional, but it was far too abrupt and didn't close the movie in the way I would have liked. The highlight of this movie is the acting. Without a doubt. Every person in this movie is believable and brilliant. Grint did not disappoint and played the character flawlessly. Even when he is not the focus of the shot, he stays in character and even his gestures are consistent and spot on. Sheehan was the biggest surprise to me. I have no idea who he is, haven't seen him before, but he really made the movie for me. The mix of charisma, a character with a chip on his shoulder, and the overall development of his character is apparent with every word, gesture, and smirk. I look forward to seeing him in future films. Overall, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you will appreciate Grint's performance and probably like the movie. The acting made the shortcomings of the movie less obvious and entertaining. However, this is not a movie meant for a young audience. It is riddled with drugs, sex, violence, and bad language.

I watched this film last night, and really enjoyed it- this is the first movie I've seen Rupert Grint in out of Harry Potter, and it has just proved to me even more how fantastic his acting is- not for a second did I associate him with Harry Potter- that world was completely forgotten for the entire movie. His acting is flawless. I knew Kimberly Nixon before this film, but she hadn't really made much of an impression on me- this time however she stood out to me, and I thought her acting was superb. I haven't heard of anyone else in the cast, but I did like Robert Sheehan- he played a very complicated character, and I think he portrayed Luke very well indeed. Overall, I really enjoyed this film- the acting, the camera-work and cinematography, and the plot were all very good- I thoroughly recommend this film.

A pretty girl enters in the lives of two friends who might fight one against the other to see who'll be with her in "Cherrybomb". The good guy Malachy (Rupert Grint) and the bad boy Luke (Robert Sheehan) are these opposites forces who work well together; the first is a responsible student who also works in a gym run by Crilly (James Nesbitt), father of the sexy girl; the second is totally out of control, who lives the sex, drugs and rock n'roll motto ,never knowing what to do with his life. Then comes Michelle (Kimberley Nixon) who joins them in wild parties, night outs, provoking both of these guys who are so up for her. The story follows in a well humored manner, sometimes a little bit depressive (specially concerning about Luke's family with his constantly drunken dad) but as we are told right from the start, the trio is heading to tragic events. First thing that came to my mind while watching "Cherrybomb" was a subtle correlation with "Something Wild" (1986) with a certain extra thing but never getting to the same level. Here, there's a wild girl messing with the life of a good boy, teasing a bad one and giving lots of trouble to her father, who is trying to adapt his routine to be with her since the mom doesn't want anything with her. I guess one could say this is a teen version of Demme's film but without the energy, the smartness and the rich soundtrack of the classic American film. It lacks a certain appeal in the story, one that makes you deeply care about the characters involved (completed with a lack of answers at the conclusion). And if the movie worths a view it's mainly of its great cast of actors giving their usual treat which is always good. Grint never fails delivering the nice guy performance; Sheehan has an born ability to play troubled characters who has an dark yet hilarious sense of humor constantly thrown on the other characters much for our delight (the best of show, really! Plus, he's very cute!); and the girl has the right quality to make those boys go nuts for her doing all she wants them to do. It's not special as it seems to be nor funny, dangerous and bold as it could be, or even longer (screentime was needed). If you need entertainment and some laughs this is the film you look for, complete; more than those goals you won't get, it's just half right with its message. 8/10

Cherrybomb is a song title and funnily enough, I just watched the movie Runaways before I watched this one. The song also features in short scene in this movie. And the movie has some raw power to it, as the song (and the group that sang it) has! But the movie is more than that. It is also more than the beginning suggests. While you might not entirely relate to the characters, you hopefully still will feel for them. The performances are more than stellar and everyone of the characters has his/her flaws. It's not a perfect movie, but it has some strong points and is made with passion (the actors and the crew involved), which is apparent on screen.

First of all, I have spoken to a few people who have seen the movie, and their opinions have been very different. Some people may see this movie as a "boring and slow movie with no real storyline", and others as "a movie with much emotion, and with characters you can relate to". I believe some people who thinks it's a bad movie, didn't really watch it attentively. How cliché this may sound, I think you can't really understand the movie if you watch it with your heart "closed". The first time I watched this movie, I was a bit bored and watched without really taking the information in. Therefore I was a bit confused at the end, like "was that it?". However, after watching it another time I was in love! The storyline in this movie is very simple and unoriginal - about two boys competing over a girl - but the atmosphere and mood in this movie is, in my opinion, very special. The actors (especially the main characters Malachy and Luke, played by Rupert Grint and Robert Sheehan) are doing a very good job showing the emotional struggle both of them carry. Especially a sad scene with Luke after a fight with both his best friend, the girl he's attracted to, and his father. You really feel with the characters. This, together with great soundtracks, makes this an excellent movie. The main characters Malachy and Luke are very different from each other. Malchy is the "good guy" with the good grades and a normal family. However, he doesn't want people to see him as nothing more than "mom's little good boy", and drinks, swears and does other things to make people notice that he is more than that. His best friend Luke (whom I personally, think is the more interesting character) is his opposite. Luke seems to be a carefree boy with a bit of an attitude. However, his older brother is a businessman, and makes Luke and his father sell drugs for their living. In short, Lukes father is a mess. He never was a real father to Luke. So (without really showing it) Luke really treasures Malachy, as he's one of the few people who cares about him and accepts him as he is. Through out the movie, you realize that Luke loves Malachy more than Malachy loves him back. Luke is a quirky and a bit tragic character, nevertheless you can't resist liking him. Michelle (played by Kimberely Nixon) is the girl which Malachy and Luke compete over. She is not a beauty, just very cute, which makes the story more realistic. Despite the self-confidence she shows outwards, she really is an insecure girl. Both of her parents doesn't have time for her, and her dad is sleeping with her 16 year old friend (which she finds out later in the movie). With those factors, the reason why she willingly made Malachy and Luke crazy about her becomes clear, as she never received the love she needed at home. For Luke, getting Michelle to bed was just a game. He was not a person strong enough mentally for a relationship. However, Malachy developed a strong liking to Michelle. This scares Luke, as Malachy starts to strive for Michelle and forgets about Luke. Malachy never really realized what an emotional struggle he carries, yet Michelle assumed. When Michelle needed to return to London (after only staying for 3 days), Malachy wanted to come with her. When being asked about Luke, and answering with a careless "he can manage without me", she responds "do you reckon?". In short, I think this is a very simple, yet very interesting movie, with many aspects. There are many things I could tell about this movie, but it would be too long, and too boring to read. I really recommend this movie, yet I think this is not a movie for everyone. Not everyone will like this movie, as it is quite different from other, considered great, movies.

Throughout this movie I kept having flashes to this last season of Skins. The whole Freddie/Effy/Cook theme was played out a bit differently, but with the same type of terrible results. Granted, Malachy and Luke had a more respect for each other, but Michelle was the same sort of Effy character. Other than that the movie had the same type of a feel. Sex, drugs, and bit of violence sprinkled together as a coming of age story. The characters were well played and each had their own problems and envy of the other's lives for one reason or another. Robert Sheehan was commendable in his role as a struggling young man only looking for acceptance and a family above all else. And that's seems to be what made his relationship with Malachy perfect. Sheehan played the perfect balance of needing others while being forced in to a role of independence that was obviously unwanted. Rupert Grint also did a admirable job in his role of smothered young man looking to spread his wings and be himself, a role he seems to find himself playing again and again lately. He fights with his deep rooted ideals of how people should be treated against his behavior when he tries to get what he wants. Grint seems to find a happy medium in this character and makes him feel true and at time conflicted. My only qualm with his performance is the accent seemed to slip at times and I felt it was unbelievable. When I walked into the movie I certainly thought I was going to see something much harsher and quite different, the plot summery and trailer were quite deceiving, but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and expect much more from these actors. The story line wasn't detailed, but it never tends to be with these types of movies. What's left unsaid speaks louder than anything that could be written.