| Cherish | |
| Director: | Finn Taylor |
| Producer: | Mark Burton Johnny Wow |
| Starring: | Robin Tunney Tim Blake Nelson Brad Hunt Liz Phair |
| Music: | Mark Degli Antoni |
| Cinematography: | Barry Stone |
| Editing: | Rick LeCompte |
| Distributor: | Fine Line Features |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $1.5 million |
| Gross: | $179,751 |
Cherish is a 2002 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Finn Taylor. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 14, 2002 and had a limited theatrical release June 7 of that same year. The Region 1 DVD was originally released June 1, 2004 and then re-released on October 25, 2005 with new cover art. The movie's title is a nod to The Association's 1966 hit song with the same name.[1]
Zoe Adler (Robin Tunney), is a shy, eccentric and misunderstood computer animator who lives and works in San Francisco, has a love for 1970s and 80s pop music and is infatuated with co-worker Andrew (Jason Priestley). While heading home after a few drinks one night, she is forced into her car by a stalker who steers her into a police officer, knocking him off his bicycle and killing him.
When Zoe is put under house arrest with a story no one believes and an electronic bracelet that keeps her homebound with an ever-increasing list of mandatory and repetitive tasks she must complete or risk going to jail, she must find a way to clear her name. With the help of Daly (Tim Blake Nelson), an officer responsible for checking her bracelet every week who falls for her, a downstairs neighbor, and neighborhood kids, Zoe finds her stalker and tries to clear her name.
| Actor | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Zoe Adler | ||
| Daly | ||
| D.J. | ||
| Brynn | ||
| Andrew | ||
| Bell | ||
| Therapist | ||
| Max | ||
| Officer Yee |
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars and a thumbs up. He praised Tunney, saying that "she brings a quiet goofiness to the role that is a much better choice than grim heroism or calm competence or some of the other speeds she could have chosen." He also complimented Ricardo Gil who plays Max, a gay dwarf who lives downstairs from Zoe and befriends her.[2]
Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times liked it "as a poky little character comedy...enchanting in a small-scale way" but was critical of Taylor for trying "to shift the tone to a thriller's rush." He added, "The film lacks the horsepower for the 0-to-60-pickup needed for Zoe's Nancy Drew-like investigations of her stalker." He was also disappointed by the lack of development of characters beyond Zoe.[1]