Cherry (1999)

At age 19, a young woman is jilted at the altar. This leads to a declaration that she will swear off men forever. Now 10 years later, she suddenly decides she would like to have a child. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Jon Glascoe, Joseph Pierson

Writer:

Terry Reed

Stars:

Shalom Harlow, Jake Weber, Isaach De Bankolé

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shalom Harlow	...	Leila Sweet
Jake Weber	...	Dr. Beverly Kirk
Isaach De Bankolé	...	Menu Man
Laurel Holloman	...	Evy Sweet
Donovan Leitch Jr.	...	Eddie (as Donovan Leitch)
Gil Rogers	...	Uncle Ernest
Aleksa Palladino	...	Darcy
Heather Matarazzo	...	Dottie
Jack Gilpin	...	The Preacher
Matt Servitto	...	Customer
Tim Bohn	...	Donald
Johann Carlo	...	Nurse
David McCallum	...	Mammy
Caleb Archer	...	Jack
Kelly Singer	...	Red

Storyline

At age 19, a young woman is jilted at the altar. This leads to a declaration that she will swear off men forever. Now 10 years later, she suddenly decides she would like to have a child. She advertises in the newspaper for potential mates, whether by traditional methods or by sperm donors, but gets nothing but losers. However, two neighborhood men vie for her attention - her gynecologist and a professional clown.

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Plot Keywords:

independent film | 

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Taglines:

She's given up on love...but love hasn't given up on her.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Making Cherry

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 December 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Einsam in Manhattan

Filming Locations:

Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cypress Films (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Darcy: [narration] See, people's brains are basically oysters, all mucus-ey and gross... but there is always a grain of sand inside, trying to annoy the oyster into making a pearl...
Darcy: [narration] ... and not a bogus pearl, either... one with some value, one with some weight...
[amongst the post-it notes on the refrigerator, one reads: HAVE A CHILD]
Darcy: [narration] ...the kind you cast before swine.
Leila Sweet: Come on, Paxil.
Darcy: [narration] Of course, there is such a thing as a false pearl.

User Reviews

Laidback, low-fidelity look at romance in the 90s

It's almost pointless to recap the plot (something about a shy, unwed 29 year-old who runs a coffee shop and wants to have a baby). None of that matters because the only reason to watch this movie is to see the very smooth, likable charm of Shalom Harlow. Yikes! She's cast as Leila Sweet who has the titular cherry (still a virgin) and radiates the kind of groovy disposition that makes you want to sip coffee and scotch and listen to some vintage Beth Orton or Stone Roses. She's also got a smooth, natural acting rhythm that conjures an image of a young Emmanuelle Beart or latter-day Winona Ryder. Along with Michelle Hicks (star of last year's Twin Falls), Shalom is one one of the very few models who can make that transition from fashion to cinema.

But be warned: there's more than a few hokey plot devices that prod the movie along (she advertises for a sperm donor, hires a jive talking chef, weds her gynecologist, etc). But there's also more than a few tender, genuine screen moments such as her recurring encounters with Donovan Leitch (prospective donor?) and David McCallum (surrogate father figure). The best moments - easily worth the price of the rental - are when Shalom and Donovan get cozy and trade slurred barbs about the meaning of romance. Nice, wish there were more of that/them. The final word? Terrible title for such a sweet movie.