Review The Last Blu-ray You Watched

[Scottie]

Ratings
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Extras: 1/5
Film: 3.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Review
Stephen Elliott's 2012 film, "About Cherry", is a drama centered around high school student Angelina and her journey of finding herself. Angelina (portrayed by Ashley Hinshaw) does not have the best home life. Her mother is an alcoholic, her father is non-existent, she works a low-paying job at the local laundromat, and she is in a relationship with a man who constantly degrades her and takes her for granted. All of this soon changes for Angelina when she reaches her breaking point and decides to move to San Francisco. With her best friend Andrew (portrayed by Dev Patel) in tow, Angelina leaves her old life behind and begins a new one in The City By The Bay. In San Francisco, Angelina moves into an apartment with Andrew and immediately begins searching for work. After a short while, she begins working as a waitress at a strip club, where she meets cocaine-addicted lawyer, Francis (portrayed by James Franco), and gets into a relationship with him. After a recommendation from a fellow co-worker, Angelina auditions to become a porn star for a local adult entertainment company. Once there, she finds herself engaging in things she probably would never dream of doing, while also falling under the watchful eye of lesbian film director, Margaret (portrayed by Heather Graham).

The biggest problem with "About Cherry" is that too many people go into the film expecting it to be another "Boogie Nights". While Paul Thomas Anderson did create a legacy with "Boogie Nights", "About Cherry" is a different perspective on the adult entertainment industry, as seen through the eyes of a financially unstable eighteen-year-old girl. Angelina is a high school dropout with minimal education. Therefore, when she decides to leave her old life behind on a "spur of the moment", she is forced to grow up. Part of this involves working and in Angelina's eyes, the easiest way to make a quick buck is to exploit her body. While a large part of her engaging in pornography is for financial reasons, another part, in my opinion, is to punish herself. For those who have seen the film, you will realize that Angelina has a lot of guilt, especially with her younger sister, JoJo. Therefore, when Angelina decides to engage in "guy-girl" sex instead of the traditional "girl-girl" sex that she has been doing, we see a new side of her emerge.

"About Cherry" is not a perfect film by any means. With that being said, I think the film does its job and provides the viewer with a great character study of a misunderstood and troubled young girl. This is the second time that I have seen the film and I enjoyed it just the same as my first visit. While the film is weighed down in numerous ironic moments, such as Angelina's cocaine-addicted boyfriend calling her disgusting among other things, this should not deter you from viewing it.