Cherish (2002)

47% of critics liked it
(76 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(1,997 ratings)

Finn Taylor's quirky comedy Cherish concerns Zoe (Robin Tunney), a woman unlucky in love. She is berated at work and always seems to strike out with the opposite sex. After being asked by an attractive co-worker (Jason Priestley) to dance at a party, Zoe is kidnapped by a stalker who has fallen in… More Finn Taylor's quirky comedy Cherish concerns Zoe (Robin Tunney), a woman unlucky in love. She is berated at work and always seems to strike out with the opposite sex. After being asked by an attractive co-worker (Jason Priestley) to dance at a party, Zoe is kidnapped by a stalker who has fallen in love with her. During a scuffle, they accidentally kill a police officer. The stalker disappears and Zoe is charged with the crime. Soon she is under house arrest. The technician in charge of her ankle bracelet (Tim Blake Nelson) is as socially awkward as she is. Soon they grow close and he gets her a nine-hour window in which the pair tries to find the stalker and clear her name. Rocker Liz Phair and Saturday Night Live alumnus Nora Dunn round out the cast of this film that was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Finn Taylor
Written By: Finn Taylor
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 7, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jun 1, 2004
Studio: Fine Line Features

Critic Reviews

Loren King, Chicago Tribune
An uneven mix of genres that, even when it misses the mark, gets points for originality and a good beat.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
You'll be entertained and utterly engrossed in this deceptively challenging little thriller.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
Suffers from unlikable characters and a self-conscious sense of its own quirky hipness.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
The look and sound of something a little different.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Driven by Tunney's endearingly offbeat, oddball performance.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
One of those American independent comedies that suffers from a serious case of the lonely-girl cutes.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Robin Tunney turns Zoe's socialization and investigation into little revelations - sculpting her magnetic, melancholy presence as perfectly as her buff body in third-act action where she sheds, and draws, blood for a climax driven by robust reclamations.
Dragan Antulov, Draxblog Movie Reviews
nothing more than interesting failure
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
...deserves better than its early exit from theaters. How can you possibly dismiss the irrepressible Robin Tunney?
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
The mystery here is not the identity of the shadowy man who got Zoe into this mess, but which movie Taylor intended to emerge from Cherish's cinematic muddle.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Cherish would've worked a lot better had it been a short film.
Bryant Frazer, Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus
A movie about mistrust of the system, personal inertia, and the melancholy stasis of everyday life.
Chad Bixby, Film Threat
It's a strained romantic comedy that starts promisingly, takes a hard left turn and slowly falls apart.
James Rocchi, Netflix
Drama-thriller-romance with lite music and heavy subtext is a slight near miss, but still fascinating.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
A lame romantic comedy about an unsympathetic character and someone who would not likely be so stupid as to get involved with her.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...Tunney is allowed to build an uncommonly human character, an almost real-live girl complete with trouble and hope.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Although it doesn't always hang together -- violence and whimsy don't combine easily -- "Cherish" certainly isn't dull.
Marshall Fine, Journal News (Westchester, NY)
Turns into the most routine of stories, its originality discarded in favor of a template for a story we've seen dozens of times before.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

MisterYoda ?

3 stars
Doctor S

A fresh take on the thriller genre, which really isn't a thriller most of the time, in fact the thriller elements get in the way! Robin Tunney is an (overly) talkative, socially awkward, music loving computer animator who during a sodden night out crashes and kills a cop after a… More
A fresh take on the thriller genre, which really isn't a thriller most of the time, in fact the thriller elements get in the way! Robin Tunney is an (overly) talkative, socially awkward, music loving computer animator who during a sodden night out crashes and kills a cop after a mysterious stranger carjacks her and then flees the scene. Whew! Nobody believes her story, so while awaiting trial she is placed under house arrest in a new, downtrodden neighborhood (she had to sell her condo to pay her lawyer) and fitted with an ankle transmitter that only allows her 57 feet distance from an alarm beacon. This is where the bulk of the film - and entertainment - lies, in her apartment awaiting trial. Her only acquaintances are her invalid downstairs neighbor and the ankle bracelet security officer who makes routine visits. The relationships and twists that develop are surprising yet believable. Tunney alone bears the weight of the movie as she features in nearly every scene, and her quirkily appealing performance won my affection. Tim Blake Nelson also hits the bulls-eye, but Liz Phair....well, it's fun to see her appear in a movie once. Nice in-joke of her whitechocolatespaceegg album displayed at the checkout counter of a record store. The thriller elements are competent but fairly routine, and with a resolution that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Normally these deficiencies would kill a movie, but the characters and occurrences are so fun to watch that the thriller aspect became secondary. Filled with '80s songs that fit perfectly with the mood of each scene. A modest, enjoyably offbeat sleeper.
Chosen 7

Very entertaining film. Robin Tunney is too sexy.
Leo L

A great movie. Great music.

Cast

            Robin Tunney as Zoe

            Tim Blake Nelson as Daly

            Brad Hunt as D. J.

            Liz Phair as Brynn

            Jason Priestley as Andrew

            Nora Dunn as Bell

            Lindsay Crouse as Therapist

            Ricardo Gil as Max

            Kenny Kwong as Yung

            Stephen Polk as Joyce

            Kelvin Han Yee as Officer Yee

            Matthew King as Young Man on Train

            Tim Griffin as Officer Griffin

            Phil LaMarr as Yoga Instructor

            Bill Ferrell as Heavier Officer

            Karena Davis as Woman in Bar

            Scott Breitenstein as Offier Ruiz

            Kathleen Stefano as Head Prison Guard

            Alex Gonzalez as Kid #1

            Kellan Patrick as Kid #2

            Adam Del Rio as Jimmy

            Nina Du Val as Wife

            Daniel DeShara as Husband

            Sumalee G. Montano as Officer Montano

            Jeremy Toback as Record Store Owner

            Veronica Brown as Woman in Apartment

            Tim Wiggins as Motorist

            Michael Vaughn Breitenstein as Officer 'Hand Bitten'

            Banks McClintock as Engineer

            Mary Saudargas as Woman

            Sophia Sharp as New Waitress

            Todd Stoneman as Hustler

            Matte Finish as Woman Behind Bars

            Beth Daly as Computer
See full cast