jimbo-53-186511 I clocked this film on Sky Movies On Demand and decided to watch it based on its plot summary. The plot summary really over-sells this film and made me believe that it actually might be a good film (I didn't look at its IMDb rating prior to watching it).The problem with this film is that it just seems to lack any sort of depth; this extends to both the plot and its characters. With this being a drama on the porn industry, I expected it to explore the ups, downs, and consequences of one's involvement within this industry. This film explores some of the ups quite well and we also see some of the consequences on those around Cherry as a result of her new found career. What it fails to explore is the downside and given the subject matter that's where I thought a lot of the focus would be. Cherry takes cocaine (and seemingly ends up unaffected by this) - she falls out with her parents (and again seems unaffected by this). Cherry then has a bust up with her friend Andrew when she catches him watching porn. At this point, I thought the film was turning a corner and felt that there may be some sort of realisation or insight, but once again the writers stop that thread dead and move on to something else. Worse still, the film suggests that Cherry ends up with film director Margaret - this isn't clear as the film shifts from them having a drink in the bar together and then finds them living together in the next scene. Did anyone else think that was a bit weird? I think the worst part of this film is that it felt like it had no message and nothing to say; I mean Cherry is arguably happier at the end than she was at the start? She doesn't seemed to have suffered that badly at any point during the film. Whilst I think that saying this glamorises the industry is perhaps going a bit too far, I did feel that it didn't explore the downsides very well and for me that's sending out a fairly dangerous message (particularly to younger viewers).Personally, I found this film to be shallow and somewhat pointless. It didn't really have anything to say and didn't really explore Cherry's relationships with her family and friends. Worse still, it failed to provide the audience with any sort of commentary. As it is it's basically a pretentious porn film trying to masquerade as a serious drama.

gnostication Although I have used IMDb for years, I only just now made an account so that I may write a review for this film. I'm shocked at such a low score that it has received.As with most independent dramas, the film moves slowly and has a slight dream-like feel. About Cherry's director clearly made conscious effort to not just produce some trite content about sex films but instead make art, so I enjoyed the pace and tone of the film to match its artistic reflection.The film is very subtle, and I found it to trigger and alight my imagination as part of receiving the story. Most of the heaviest emotional aspects of About Cherry are only hinted at. Maybe it's a half-smile of the mother character, played phenomenally by Lili Taylor (in what I consider one of her best supporting roles) when she visits her runaway daughter. The slight up-turn of her lip reveals desperation, insecurity, love, and shame all in a single moment. Or the brief scene when Angelina (the character who becomes "Cherry" when entering the adult industry) is asleep with her younger sister on some couch-bed (maybe the family is too poor for the entire family to have bedrooms?) and feels the menacing presence of her step-father that leaves the attentive viewer a thick taste of some muddied history of abuse. However, even as the allusive nature of the narration benefits the imaginative mechanisms of the viewer, the film demands a certain sophistication and attention that may prevent its accessibility.As a male who worked in the adult (straight) industry in the late 90's and early 2000's, both as an owner in production and as "talent", I personally greatly admire the film. There are all types of people involved in the industry, but with About Cherry we get to also encounter the more modern type of sex worker who can transcend morals and even health through emotional or spiritual wounds to reach healthier and happier levels. I like how the movie shows a porn actress actually turning down cocaine. I also like the lesbianism in the movie because it's absolutely true that female adult actresses often grow more romantically fulfilled with women after years of essentially being used and dominated by testosterone.As a resident of Northern California, in close proximity to San Francisco, and having spent time recently at The Armory (home to the real adult film studios that much of About Cherry was shot at), I especially like how the film gave an honest picture of the current evolution that the industry is witnessing. The S.F. adult industry scene is creating a renaissance in the culture, where women are discovering they can actually have fun (not always) with the work. Instead of simply feeling pressure from the expectation to be just an object, the adult film industry of Northern California is creating a culture of permission-based, fantasy oriented, sex-positive healthy exploration and weaving that into film production. There is an attempt to even integrate more artistic and enlightened practices to the adult film productions as well.Although details of the adult industry, the character's thoughts, and the dark background of the story may have been left out of About Cherry, I consider both the content and presentation of this movie to be exceptional. I was very impressed with both the acting and the direction, and very much enjoyed the story - even the ending. This film may not be for everyone, but I would still recommend it to most everyone I know.

zuhair_v I'm not going to pretend to have liked the film's beliefs. It show us – although vaguely – the 'behind-the-scenes' of the internet porn industry. I believe we have watched them 'making-of-porn films' before: 'Boogie Nights, 1997'; '8mm, 1999'; 'Wonderland, 2003'; 'The Girlfriend Experience, 2009' and so it goes. These movies showed us the consequences of choice and greed; it was one of those first-times when you learned about the dark side of something you acquired pleasure from. 'About Cherry' doesn't show you consequences, it does not make you feel sympathy for the lead and by doing so we start to dislike her halfway into the film. Breaking most rules of the genre, 'Cherry' takes us somewhere the movie itself doesn't know yet (maybe few months from now and we will have theories). It however succeeds in giving rise to emotions long buried. It made me uncomfortable in a hateful way. I disliked the lead character, played brilliantly by Ashley Hinshaw who is mostly holding back her emotions throughout the film, well at least more than her clothes. We've seen this before, the dysfunctional family, the runaway under-age who ends up being a porn star; 'Star 80, 1983', anyone? The movie doesn't show us the disenchantment, the humdrum of making a porn movie although Hinshaw's transformation is something the filmmakers can be proud of; transformation into a successful person in the business of sex. Just what are they trying to tell us, is what makes you want to pull the hair. All bad things happen to good people; this movie crosses that out and says: bad people deserve bad things. The only trouble with this is that the 'bad' looks pretty alright to me, maybe even nice. Money and sex and suits with breathtaking view of San Francisco and what have you. There's one more thing I'm not going to do here; not judge. Getting laid every damn day and getting paid for it and also enjoying it (to hell with the tears, we've seen them done better) – as the movie suggests makes me not like anyone but Dev Patel's character. The charming, junkie-lawyer/ex-painter Franco is a treat alright but what in the Lord's name happened to Heather Graham? She's brooding most of the time and when she's not brooding most of the time she's having sex with another woman (dykes!). To top that, in a film filled with scenes of nudity and explicit sex she does not bare, not even a flash. In the end the movie is a build-up to more movies about internet-porn, like the upcoming 'Middlemen'. Lili Taylor also starred in 'The Notorious Bettie Page, 2005', which is an effective film, if I remember well. In the end it is also a beginning to an era of showing the glitz and glamour of the thirteen billion dollar porn industry and that it can be unending if you want it to be.

Tejas Nair What a lousy act to choose a clichéd & somewhat-ubiquitous topic to make a directorial debut movie on! I was intrigued by the title and in tandem expected an untold story.But, what About Cherry delivers has already been read, filmed, published, sung or even enacted a hundred times. So the story is typical. Plot revolves around a bunch of other characters related/unrelated to the lead and they introduce some of those LGBT relationship dramas. That is genuine. The porn aura made it look gaudy but yes, now I completely know how they make an actual porn movie & how girls fall prey into the multi-billion dollar worth industry.Performances are good enough with Ashley & Heather doing good. Patel is good, too. Yet, the climax fails to pick up the pieces. It gives a conclusion but falls short in adding a noble inference. Plus, the whole experience has the greatest potential of fading it off your memory. 5/10.BOTTOM LINE: Nothing new. Wait for a free copy or pass.Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NOMessage: Where there is money, may always not be the right path.Profanity: Mediocre | Porn: Critical | Sex: Critical | Nudity: Very Critical | Smoking: Mediocre | Alcohol: Mediocre | Drugs: Mild | Vulgarity: Mild | Violence: Very Mild | Gore: No