Cherrybomb (2009)

Three teenagers go on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars that quickly spins beyond their control.

Directors:

Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn

Writer:

Daragh Carville

Stars:

Rupert Grint, Robert Sheehan, James Nesbitt

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rupert Grint	...	Malachy
Robert Sheehan	...	Luke
James Nesbitt	...	Crilly
Niamh Quinn	...	Donna
Paul Kennedy	...	Chris
Conor MacNeill	...	Fanta
Greer Ellison	...	Bun
Kat Kirk	...	Sharon
Kimberley Nixon	...	Michelle
Kathy Kiera Clarke	...	Emma
Lalor Roddy	...	Smiley
Paul Garrett	...	Bob
Paul Caddell	...	Swimming Instructor
Richard Orr	...	Uncle Joe
Bronach Lawlor	...	Jessica

Storyline

Cherry Bomb follows teenagers Luke, Malachy, and Michelle as they embark on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars. But what starts out as a game turns deadly serious when the three discover that they can't get off the wild ride they've set in motion.

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Plot Keywords:

ireland | drug use | graffiti | one word title | swimming pool | 

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Taglines:

Two guys.One girl.Game on.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 April 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Eszetlenek

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Generator Entertainment, Green Park Films, Irish Film Board

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rupert Grint reportedly found shooting Malachy's nude sex scene embarrassing - though not as much as watching the scene with his parents on a preview DVD.

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Quotes

Malachy: I freaking hate you sometimes.
Luke: Yeah? Well get in the queue sunshine; I hate me all the time.

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Connections

References Apocalypse Now (1979)

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Soundtracks

"BEING KONG"
Written by Twinkranes
Performed by Twinkranes
Published by Twinkranes
Licensed courtesy of Twinkranes

User Reviews

Promising... but not good enough

After watching the trailer for "Cherrybomb", I had great expectations about this one. It looked dark and raw and sexy. But I was a bit disappointed. Not that it was not interesting to watch, but it felt like something was missing, something was not enough.

The storyline goes like this: Two 16-year-olds, best friends, fall for the new girl in town. She leads them both on and they compete over her, trying to impress her. The three fall into a twirl of alcohol, drugs, sex and violence.

The two friends are portrayed by Rupert Grint and Robert Sheehan. They were both excellent. Sheehan is always a joy to watch, there is a great career ahead of him. And Grint was a very pleasant surprise, basically supporting most of the film with his performance. Kimberley Nixon though, the girl that pulls the strings, did not stand up to the part for me. It didn't seem believable that she could affect them that much, I couldn't see "that something" in her.

Another reviewer compared this trio with the Effy/Freddie/Cook story in "Skins". I agree to the similarity and it is an excellent argument why "Cherrybomb" was not enough. Effy was a character you loved to hate. You could see why she had them crazy over her. The love/hate friendship between Freddie and Cook was very touching. And it was much more raw and violent, really leaved you with a wow/punch-in-the-stomach kind of feel. "Cherrybomb" tried for this feel too and didn't quite get there...

The cinematography was interesting, I liked the dark colors and it got across the feeling of despair and confusion of adolescence. But still I expected more, it was a bit superficial, not strong enough, not daring enough perhaps, to shock you, to really get to you.

Kudos for the ending and the soundtrack. Could have been better, but it's still worth watching.