Rating: 
Summary: Cherish
Review: While this film sports an impressively interesting premise (a woman is tragically forced into a fatal accident, charged with manslaughter and forced to live with an electronic bracelet (house arrest) in a cheap loft in a dangerous neighborhood while she awaits her trial), very good acting, a decent script, compelling set design, camera work and lighting, and a nostalgic sound track, Cherish doesn't entirely succeed. Tim Blake Nelson (O' Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Good Girl) is superb as the leading man who reluctantly falls in love with Robin Tunney's unfortunate victim, Zoe Adler. Tunney, herself, leaves little to be desired as she spends much of the feature isolated on camera. It's always an accomplishment when you spend large chunks of a picture alone and still suceed. Unfortunately, the plot details are too often unfulfilled and characters are underdeveloped. One wonders how Zoe goes from blabbering, blubbering nerd with terrible fashion and hair (who somehow still manages, at 29, to get an impressive list of first dates) to a self-assured, Run Lola Run-like independent woman without a single interlude of self-pity. Even Zoe's angry scenes--when she finally lashes out about the extreme injustice being inflicted on her--come too late and seem forced. One also wonders what it is about Zoe that causes her mysterious stalker to choose her as the subject of his fascination; her love for classic pop songs (including Tainted Love and the 60's version of Cherish) simply isn't enough. The presence of a gay, Jewish drawf bound to a wheelchair (while a frequent source of comic relief) is also jarring. Only one, relatively minor scene, discusses these identifying characteristics and, I might add, does so very quickly. It feels almost as though this character is supposed to be more significant than he actually is. In addition, there is a running string (literally) of logical inconsistencies that one cannot reconcile. Zoe has 57 feet worth of wandering room. This means she can't go down the stairs outside of her loft, but it doesn't stop her from climbing a ventilation shaft, nearly to the roof of her building. Lastly, the film evidentally spans two years, but one would be hard pressed to know it. Still--despite all of these flaws--the film is quite entertaining. There are some chilling, unconvential romantic moments between Nelson and Tunney that leave the viewer excited and laughing. In fact, Nelson's Bill Daly is the only character whose actions are never doubtful, in large part because of these scenes. There are also some biting lines of dialogue ("I wouldn't date so many men if even one would call me back") and a lot of fun moments as Zoe attempts to escape and then circumvent her imprisonment. There is also a wonderfully suspenseful scene as Zoe--through Daly's help--seeks out the true criminal. In other words, none of the aforementioned faults are deal breakers. The viewer still watches the bulk of this film feeling fulfilled, feeling satisfied. And then comes the final sequence of the flick. While the end isn't necessarily a deal breaker either, it does come very very close, as it is unexplained and largely illogical. In the end, Cherish has several memorable moments and is certainly worth viewing, but it is not without faults.
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