"CHERISH"
(2002) (Robin Tunney, Tim Blake Nelson) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Mild	Extreme	Moderate	Mild
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Mild	Mild	Extreme
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	None	Moderate	Heavy

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama: While dealing with boredom and testing the boundaries of her confinement under house arrest, a socially inept and somewhat odd young woman falls for the deputy assigned to monitor her electronic tracking bracelet.

PLOT:

Zoe Adler (ROBIN TUNNEY) is socially awkward young woman who works in a San Francisco animation department. Prone to talking too fast when uncomfortable, Zoe has few friends and less success with men who never return for a second date. Even her co-worker, Brynn (LIZ PHAIR), wants nothing to do with her and makes sure she's not invited to an office party.

She decides to crash it anyway and meets up with the object of her latest crush, Andrew (JASON PRIESTLY). After a few drinks, she decides to let him drive her home, but upon retrieving her cell phone from her car, she's accosted by a stalker who ends up forcing her to drive into the path of a bicycle policeman. He ends up dead, the stalker flees, and Zoe is charged with alcohol-induced manslaughter.

Realizing Zoe would never survive in prison while awaiting her trial, her lawyer, Bell (NORA DUNN), arranges for the 29-year-old to be sentenced to house arrest in a large but rundown flat. Equipped with an irremovable electronic bracelet around her ankle that limits her to a radius of 75 feet from the tracking modem, Zoe realizes she's now trapped inside her own little prison with only occasional visits by deputy Bill Daly (TIM BLAKE NELSON) who checks the device.

Spending her time listening to period love songs on KXCH "Cherish" radio and trying to keep her sanity, Zoe realizes she can't prove her innocence while confined to her new home. Accordingly, she tries to remove the bracelet, an act that only prompts Daly to fit her with a new and improved one and orders random, check-in telephone calls that she must answer within five rings.

As times passes and Zoe makes friends with her downstairs neighbor, Max (RICARDO GIL), a gay little person whose wheelchair confinement prevents the two from actually meeting face to face, she tests and pushes the boundaries of her confinement, all while being unaware that her stalker (BRAD HUNT) is trying to find her.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

Unless they're fans of someone in the cast, it's not very likely.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

ROBIN TUNNEY plays a socially inept young woman who's prone to fantasizing about romance. She ends up wrongly accused of a crime and ends up under house arrest where she tries to alleviate your boredom and tests the boundaries of her electronic bracelet confinement. She eventually falls for Daly and uses strong profanity, all while hoping to prove her innocence.

TIM BLAKE NELSON plays the deputy assigned to administer Zoe's electronic bracelet program. He ends up falling for her and uses some strong profanity.

RICARDO GIL plays Zoe's downstairs neighbor, a gay little person who's confined to a wheelchair. He eventually befriends Zoe and uses some strong profanity.

JASON PRIESTLY plays the object of Zoe's romantic fantasies.

LIZ PHAIR plays Zoe's coworker who's repeatedly mean and demeaning toward her.

NORA DUNN plays Zoe's lawyer who arranges for the home custody and briefly uses strong profanity.

BRAD HUNT plays a man who's obsessed with Zoe and is stalking her. He also beats up several people.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated film. Profanity consists of at least 30 uses of the "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also used. Some sexually related dialogue is present, a miscellaneous couple occasionally fools around (and sexually related sounds are heard in one such scene), a male character pays a man for apparent sexual services just rendered, and some brief and partial female nudity (along with cleavage) is occasionally seen.

Violence includes a car running down a bicycle policeman (flipping him over the car and killing him), various instances of fighting or striking others, some property damage and some accidental injuries (that have some mild, bloody results). Some of those scenes could be somewhat unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers.

Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes (including a stalker), while some characters smoke and/or drink (one to the point of being somewhat intoxicated) and some imitative behavior is present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

We see a beer bottle on a table outside a café.

Various people drink in a club, including Zoe and Andrew and he comments on her having several drinks (she appears a little tipsy). Her stalker then makes her drive off in her car and run over a bicycle cop (and we then hear that her blood alcohol level is twice over the limit). We then hear that Zoe had a prior DUI in high school.

Daly drinks a beer at home.

Zoe asks Max if she can buy him a drink and then rolls a beer can down the stairwell to him. She also has a beer.

Daly has a beer.

Max brings some champagne to share with Zoe.

We see some people on the street who appear to have just been involved in a drug transaction.

BLOOD/GORE

Daly has some blood on his mouth and hand after a convict kicks him.

Zoe has some bruises on her arm.

We see a big bruise on Zoe's thigh.

Zoe has a little bit of blood on her head, and later leaves some bloody handprints after cutting herself upon kicking through some glass to gain entry to her place (we also see some blood on the frame of the small window above her door).

We see some blood on a surveillance bracelet that's been removed.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

The man stalking Zoe and taking photos of her obviously has an extreme case of bad attitudes (and for making her drive over a bicycle cop).

Brynn isn't nice or friendly to Zoe at work.

Some women gossip about Zoe and Andrew, stating that men like hard to get women as wives, but like easy women when they want to "get laid" (implying that Zoe is easy).

Zoe repeatedly breaks the rules about the electronic bracelet around her ankle and is disrespectful to Daly.

A bunch of boys on the street throw things at Zoe when she looks out the window.

A person calls Max (who's a little person) "little man."

Some unseen people rob Zoe's place.

Daly illegally changes Zoe's status from house arrest to work release.

Zoe steals someone's bicycle so that she can get home in time before her deadline.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be tense or suspenseful to some viewers.

Zoe suddenly sees a guy outside her parked car at night who then gets inside, puts his hand over her mouth and makes her drive off (while somewhat intoxicated). He then makes her drive into a bicycle cop who wants her to stop.

After watching a TV show that talks about how a trapped wolverine (that we see) will even chew off its own leg to escape, Zoe picks up a cleaver and some viewers may wonder if she's going to chop off her foot (she doesn't).

Two unscrupulous looking men on the street start following Zoe (but some kids run interference for her).

As Zoe investigates her stalker's place, we see that he's returning home and she scrambles to get out.

Zoe's stalker eventually makes his way into her place and she must contend with that, including trying to escape after striking him.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Knife/Shiv: Not seen, but apparently used to stab someone (we see an encounter, but no details).

Handgun: Held by several people on others.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "I f*cking knew it," "What the f*ck?" "Who the f*ck /are you/is this?" "Watch the f*ck you're doing next time," "F*ck off," "Jesus f*cking Christ," "F*ck this," "Get the f*ck out," "We are f*cked," "F*cker," "F*ck you," "Turn that sh*t off," "Scumbag," "Pissed," "Bastards," "Loser," "What the hell is so funny?" and "Shove your directions up your ass."

Zoe irons her own hair so that she can look like Drew Barrymore.

Zoe pours a pitcher of water out her window in hopes of hitting some boys who've been taunting her (but hits Max instead).

Trying to get Max's attention but unable to leave her place due to her electronic leg bracelet, Zoe rolls several cans down the stairwell so that they thump on each step on their way down. She eventually uses a bowling ball in the same manner.

Zoe leaves a sticky note on Daly's seat (reading "Anal retentive") so that it sticks to his clothed rear after he sits and then gets up.

We see a heavily tattooed man in a record store.

Zoe wears a midriff-revealing top.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A mild amount of such music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

A song has the lyric, "Making love to you was never second best," while another contains "damn."

PROFANITY

At least 30 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 11 "s" words, 1 slang term for female genitals ("c*nt"), 1 slang term for sex ("get laid"), 3 damns, 1 ass, 1 hell, 1 S.O.B., 9 uses of "G-damn," 2 uses of "Jesus Christ" and 1 use of "Oh Jesus Christ" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

Some women gossip about Zoe and Andrew, stating that men like hard to get women as wives, but like easy women when they want to "get laid" (implying that Zoe is easy).

Zoe acts like she's talking to someone and asks, "Do you want to make love to me tonight?"

Zoe shows some cleavage from time to time (in various outfits, including a tight tank-top) as well as while dancing with a grocery deliveryman. He says he must leave, but she takes his hands and puts them on her clothed butt (she's wearing a dress).

We see a young man putting on his pants and taking money from Max (who's lying on a bed) for whom he apparently performed some sort of homosexual service.

As Zoe makes her way up through an airshaft of sorts from her place toward the roof, she stops in a closet where she sees a foreign couple in their bedroom. The man removes his shirt and the woman starts to undo hers as both lie down on the bed and do some rolling around (we see the woman in her bra).

Zoe states she's going to take a shower and we see her in her bra that she then removes as she walks away (we see her bare back and part of the side of her bare breast). We then see her in just a towel.

As Zoe climbs up through the building again, she stops by the foreign man and woman's place and hears some loud, sexual sounds from both of them (but we don't see anything).

We see a bare breast and butt on several mannequins.

Zoe has Daly hold onto her leg while running the bracelet up and down her leg (in something of a sensuous fashion). We then see imagined views of Zoe suggestively sucking on a lollipop.

An adult male yoga instructor wears what looks like just a large diaper.

Daly and Zoe passionately make out.

We see what looked like just a brief glimpse of part of a woman's bare breast.

We see Zoe in a small bikini.

SMOKING

Zoe smokes once, as do her upstairs neighbors, while a miscellaneous person also smokes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

House arrest and electronic tracking programs for criminals.

Stalkers.

Being socially awkward around others and thus precluded from group activities.

What you'd do if restricted to a certain distance from a tracking modem like Zoe is in the film.

VIOLENCE

We see Daly trying to put an electronic tracking bracelet on a person who's being restrained but manages to kick Daly in the face.

A stalker makes Zoe drive into a bicycle cop. That man hits the windshield, flips over the car and lands on the street (we then hear that he died). She then runs over a mailbox and is knocked unconscious.

Zoe throws a cleaver into a television screen, breaking it.

Zoe falls off a stool and lands on the floor when trying to freeze the collar on her foot.

A bunch of boys on the street below throw things at Zoe when she looks out the window.

Zoe's stalker uses a sledgehammer to break things in a room, while he also overturns other things.

Some people approach and possibly stab a person on the street.

Zoe grabs Brynn and puts her hand around her mouth.

Zoe is injured and has a bit of blood on her head.

Zoe cuts herself upon kicking through some glass to gain entry to her place.

After tripping him on a wire, Max hits Zoe's stalker with a baseball bat, but the man then grabs the bat and strikes Max, knocking him out.

Zoe hits her stalker on the head with a flashlight. She then throws things down at him -- from an airshaft of sorts in her building -- that shatter above his head.

Zoe closes some sort of cover down onto her stalker's fingers.

Zoe apparently smashed her leg with a sledgehammer/mallet to remove her bracelet (we see some blood on it).

A person stomps down onto another person's foot and then head-butts that person -- to gain control of a gun - and then momentarily knocks him out.

A person hits another person on the head with a nightstick and knocks him out.

Reviewed May 31, 2002 / Posted June 14, 2002

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