day 47 - Cherish

OK film fans, hump day has come and gone, I've vegged out and watched the Olympics for a couple of hours and now I have a simple, breezy post for you, a little something from me to you to help lighten your spirits. There are all sorts of reasons to love a film. Sometimes it's the story or the clever script, sometimes it's an emotion you connect with or a character you can relate to. Other times it's much harder to put your finger on because all the little things the film does well seems to make it better than the sum of its parts.

Cherish is one of those quirky little Sundance films that comes out of nowhere, makes you smile or laugh, and just seems to disappear into thin air. Zoe (the always cool Robin Tunney) is kind of an outsider at her office; she doesn't really fit in with the cool crowd of the advertising firm where she works as animator. We know it's cool because one of her co-workers is played by indie music goddess Liz Phair. She has a crush on smarmy co-worker Andrew (Jason Priestly) and when the office heads out to a bar Mr. Smarmy makes his move. Unfortunately for Zoe someone has a crush on her as well and she ends up getting carjacked/abducted at the end of the night. When the car slams into and kills a cop the abductor flees on foot and Zoe finds herself under house arrest with an ankle bracelet monitoring her every move.

Once she's locked up the little movie truly begins to shine and Tunney's performance takes over. The confines of the room create opportunities for Tunney to display her skills without any distractions. It's just her and the camera. We see her face boredom, anger and even sexual frustration with a charming inventiveness. Locked up, facing 25 to life and being represented by a lawyer who believes she's guilty; Zoe begins to search for clues to help prove her innocence. Over time an odd but caring relationship builds between Zoe and Daly (Tim Blake Nelson), the technician in charge of her bracelet. She also starts a friendship with Max, the gay dwarf who lives on the first floor. When Zoe thinks she has a lead on tracking the man who was responsible for the crime, she goes after it in Run Lola Run style.

All of these elements are funny and cool in an indie film kind of way. But unlike other indie films the main character is someone we can relate to. The way Tunney alternates Zoe's personality from quirky nerd to hipster vamp helps create a more fully formed character than what probably appeared in the script. And by the way, I do realize that Tunney and Zooey Deschanel share some strikingly similar features, but I doubt that has anything to do with why I like the film (yes, that was sarcasm). The co-star here that deserves some serious recognition is the soundtrack to the film. As you can hear in the clips I've scattered throughout the post, the soundtrack hits Top 40 classics from the 70s and 80s. Each song that gets some limelight here reminds you just how much fun the music was and pinpoints a feeling in a way that makes Garden State seem amateurish.

In the end Cherish gives us a film that succeeds almost in spite of itself. I think if you were in a old video store (do they still even have those?) and just read the synopsis of the film on the back of the box cover, you would probably put it back on the shelf. But trust me, pick it up, give it a chance and you'll be wearing a smile by the end.