Cherry 2000 (1987)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Steve De Jarnatt

Writers:

Michael Almereyda (writer)
Lloyd Fonvielle (story)

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

She's Blond, Beautiful and Forever Young.

Plot:

In the future, a man travels to the ends of the earth to find that the perfect woman is always under his nose...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Android | Tracker | Directorial Debut | On The Road

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Andrews	...	Sam Treadwell
Jennifer Balgobin	...	Glory Hole Hotel Clerk
Marshall Bell	...	Bill
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Snappy Tom
Laurence Fishburne	...	Glu Glu Lawyer (as Larry Fishburne)
Pamela Gidley	...	Cherry 2000
Melanie Griffith	...	Edith 'E.' Johnson
Michael C. Gwynne	...	Slim
Brion James	...	Stacy
Ben Johnson	...	Six-Fingered Jake
Jeff Levine	...	Marty
Jennifer Mayo	...	Randa
Cameron Milzer	...	Elaine aka Ginger
Howard Swain	...	Jim Skeet
Jack Thibeau	...	Stubby Man

Runtime:

99 min | Spain:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | France:U | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

ERP Productions (I)

Trivia:

Filmed in 1986 and slated for release later in the year by Orion Pictures in the U.S. Due to reasons unknown, this never materialized and the film was released in Europe instead. The film would make its U.S. debut in late 1988 on Orion Home Video and then on cable, where it's enjoyed some cult status.

Goofs:

Continuity: The digital clock in Slim's repair shop jumps back and forth between 3:46 and 3:47 between shots.

Quotes:

Sam Treadwell: The man is a psychopathic killer.
Ginger: Don't impose your values on me, Sam.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Surprisingly fantastic...a real treat

Okay, "Cherry 2000" has finally achieved "cult film" status. But unlike many other cult movies, it actually deserves the title.

There are many things to like about this flick. The nuanced, likeable Ben Johnson has a good role that even delivers some tragedy (how often do you get that in a b-movie?). The charismatic Griffith is alternately contemplative and kick-ass. Of course, Tim Thomerson as Lester nearly steals the show, providing a truly strange, ruthless villain.

The effects are cheesy, sure, but they never look fake, unlike a lot of the CGI films coming out today. When you see E. Johnson's Ford being dangled over the Hoover Dam, that is an ACTUAL car, not some stupid digital effect.

The movie does lay its message on thick, but considering the obvious budget constraints they were working with, that's a perfectly excuseable flaw. The satire is at times hilarious (watch for Larry Fishburne's turn as a lawyer with Morpheus-esque reflecting sunglasses, and the final exit of the villain is truly visually ironic). I bought this on DVD (having never seen it on TV) and really liked it...maybe you will, too.