Movies With Butter

How frustrating is it that I thought I finally get to see a pornography trailer and it’s neither stimulating nor pleasurable.

The character development and liveliness are lacking in this trailer. All the characters are very subdued, mellow and one dimensional, without any complexity or complicated problems to solve. They showed all the actors, but didn’t quite tell who they are, except that they’re all intertwined somehow. Simply knowing who’s good or bad would help.

I know that Dev Patel’s character is a friend of Ashley Hinshaw’s Angelina, but I don’t know who the other cast members are and why I should care. Who is Angelina and why should I care about whether or not she’s a porn star? What about Heather Graham? Is she a porn film directed or is there more dimension and life to her? Who is James Franco supposed to be? A pimp? A friend?

Although James Franco denies using drugs in real life, he always appears as if he’s been using too much of something – blood shot and swollen red eyes, dumbfounded and lost stares, and ghastly appearances. Of course I’m only venturing a wild guess and know nothing about what a drug addict would look like.

The trailer does not present a case for any real conflict or suspense. What is the issue? It doesn’t seem to state that porn is the enemy, nor does it say it will lead Angelina to a life of drugs, sex and DVDs. Although Dev Patel’s character could turn this movie into a sweet, nice guy romance story, the trailer doesn’t seem to head in that direction either. So, I’m not sure if this movie has any concrete direction or storyline.

Choice of font in this trailer has too much of a child writing on a chalkboard feel. Why? Are we supposed to think that Angelina is a young naïve teen who happened to hang out with the wrong crowd, and thus ended up in the porn industry? Angelina looks and acts a lot older than a teenager, and changing the font to something more seductive and mature would feel more appropriate and less like watching someone create child pornography.

Cherry is scheduled to open in 2012. It centers on a young troubled woman, played by Ashley Hinshaw, who turns to porn and meets the wrong people. Other actors include James Franco, the drug-addicted lawyer, Heather Graham, a porn star director, Dev Patel, Diane Farr, Lili Taylor, Megan Boone, and Jonny Weston.

About Cherry Trailer: