DVD Review: About Cherry

There are people that enjoy doing porn.

No, really. Porn gets a seriously bad rep in most films. Everyone is either shady or being forced to do it as a last resort. If there is one decent thing that can be said about this film, it's the perspective it offers.

Angelina (Ashley Hinsaw) is an eighteen year old girl at the end of her rope. She's stuck at a dead end job, hates high school, her mom's an alcoholic, her step dad is a rapist in waiting, so she and her friend Andrew (Dev Patel, who along with Hinsaw cannot pass for 18) decide to ditch school and move to San Francisco. There, after taking a few pictures for money, Angelina adopts the name Cherry and moves onto pornography. We follow her as she meets a coked out lover, Frances (James Franco) and catches the eye of her director, Margaret. (Heather Graham)

Like I said previously, it's refreshing to see a movie involving porn that isn't operated by a bunch of creeps. Margaret is actually a very interesting character. She's passionate about her job, and unfortunately for her, her lover doesn't take her job very seriously. My biggest problem was with Cherry, herself.

Angelina just up and leaves her little sister with a drunk mom and a step dad that is obviously going to abuse her now that Angelina isn't there to protect her. Seriously, they make it a point to show that mom's boyfriend is a total creep. Angelina is aware of said creep, and still bails on her kid sister? Really? Then there's Andrew. Andrew is so far in the friend zone that he makes Jorah Mormont actually look like he has a chance with Danaerys Targaryen. When the film finally addresses this, they offer zero follow up. In fact, there's no follow up with anything. The final scene suggests that Angelina has moved up in the porno biz and is happy, but at what costs? What about all these people she's  been dragging along with her?

I think About Cherry could've been good. The script is weak and the actors too old to play the roles they were given. A few touch ups here and there would've made for a better story.

Recommended: No

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "Why am I the only person in the world who isn't allowed to see you naked?" - Andrew (Dev Patel)