If there's any demographic whose daily lives have been outlandishly glamorized on film, it might be teenagers. From the Shakespearean hierarchies of "She's All That" to the sparkly designer gloss of "Gossip Girl," these teens have always partied harder and done more drugs than the average adolescent. However, in the Irish indie, "Cherrybomb," the filmmakers strike a solid balance between the realities of restless kids and how far they go when flirting with danger, even if the film doesn't bring new insights into their behavior.
Rupert Grint's fate as "Harry Potter's sidekick" is a near certainty in the minds of many moviegoers, but in his starring role as Malachy McKinney, he succeeds in edging away from Ron Weasley's comedic instincts and heroics. Malachy earns good grades, is quiet and respectful with his family, and does what he's supposed to do, including grunt work for his cocky boss at the Titanic Leisureplex fitness center. His best friend, Luke, played by Robert Sheehan with a young Mick Jagger swagger, lies at the opposite end of the spectrum. Luke's family is in pieces, and since he must watch out for his alcoholic, drug-addled father, no one watches out for Luke. While Malachy watches cautiously, Luke runs wild.
The boys balance each other out until the arrival of Michelle, the daughter of Malachy's boss, played by Kimberley Nixon. She's dangerous, and in making Luke and Malachy fight over her, she pushes the boys to increasingly extreme heights. As Luke does the crazy things he always does, Michelle challenges Malachy to go further. Nixon does a great job of portraying this unattainable girl without boundaries. She plays the boys off each other with supreme confidence, staring into Luke's eyes an inch away from his face as if she knows she's the one thing he can't reach, and taunting Malachy with the understanding that he's been desperately waiting for an excuse to be the bad boy.
Malachy's sheltered upbringing is understandable. Luke's broken home is not shocking. Michelle's apathetic parents are expected. All three of the talented young leads are convincing and relatable in their performances, but the plot itself is more of a revelation than the character development. The movie is still worth seeing, and waiting to find out which boy Michelle chooses is the most interesting aspect of the story. The film's tagline sums this up perfectly: "Two guys. One girl. Game on."
Great flow you have here, the voice is natural and your adjectives are spot. Loved the introductory paragraph, as well.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more criticism, though. We need to more about why "the filmmakers strike a solid balance between the realities of restless kids and how far they go when flirting with danger."