Cheri – Review
Cheri is under the impression it’s a play with cameras watching it. Missing are the set changes in favor of editing to the next scene but the exchanges between the characters feel like they’re on stage rather than trying to emulate life on film. Director Stephen Frears brings it in terms of set design and production value, but something feels lost when it comes to the narrative and the acting. The film presents an interesting tale, and it wants to be great but it falls well below it’s goal.
Cheri stars Michelle Pfieffer and while she’s in full Catwoman mode, she gives one of her best performances in a good while. She gives Lea life, and plays her subtly as a woman fearing her latter days where her sex appeal has worn off. She’s takes things as they happen, and Pfieffer hits all the right notes. When she’s crying over the loss of her dear Cheri, it feels like raw, pure emotion she’s giving. She’s also believable as a sex icon and never comes off as awkward or out of place. Yes, it’s Catwoman-like but that’s the point of her character.
Too bad the rest of the cast isn’t up to snuff. Rupert Friend portrays the title character as someone who just stepped out of a My Chemical Romance concert. He’s too distant when he’s ignoring everyone in his life, which is what the character needs. However, when it comes to his interaction with Lea, Friend is too much like the child he’s trying to grow out of. When the end of his arc finally arrives, one wonders if he turned up MCR prior to it. The worst of the bunch though is Kathy Bates. She’s out of place as Cheri’s mother and her line delivery is way off. Bates seems to be talking at her fellow actors rather than to them.
No, I don't have the Catwoman suit anymore.
Another negative factor is the film’s script which keeps the focus squarely on Lea and not enough on the supporting members. The supporting cast is supposed to be built around the lead, yet it feels no one has any sort of spark to Lea. Even when Lea and Cheri are engaged in scenes it can come off forced and stilted, carried only by it’s actors. Everyone else around her is uninteresting, and seem to show up and come out only when the script wants them to. The audience never gets to know them, and the film might be aware of this as they try to make them as obscure as possible. No matter, we never spend anytime getting to know them or their names and their gone just as quickly as most the men in Lea’s life. To be fair though, the set and production designs are stellar. This is a living, breathing France of the 1920s that’s colorful and lively. The costumes as well are very elegant and all of this is complemented by some stellar camera work from Darius Khondji.
If this review has seem uninterested, then I apologize but that’s how the film comes off. Cheri, save for its two leads, has uninteresting characters and somehow manages to marr a dull plot. Cheri aspires to be a great film and falls well short of that mark. Pfieffer dazzles, but the rest of the cast seems out of touch with their characters. Again, it has wonderful set design and costumes but like most summer blockbusters, it’s all for nothing if you don’t have a good characters and an interestingly told story.
