Adapted from the semi-biographical novel by Nico Walker, Cherry is a unique movie that covers different chapters of Cherry's life as a college student, army medic, man with drug addiction, and robber. The crime drama is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and features a young and talented cast of Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo. Despite some mixed reviews on the direction and story execution, critics praised Holland and Bravo for their performances. Some people consider the movie as one of Holland's best roles due to his emotional, intense, and raw performance as Cherry. The film is now available for streaming on AppleTV+.
Of course, covering different chapters of a character's life in a two-hour and 20-minute movie is not always easy. Regardless, Cherry now joins a long list of films highlighting hardship, whether it be coping with war or trying to overcome addiction. Several other movies cover aspects of a difficult life, similar to Cherry's, and are worth taking the time to watch.
10 Hell Or High Water (2016)
In this western crime movie, two brothers rob several banks as they hope to use the money to save their family ranch. Eventually, a soon-to-be-retired Texas Ranger is called to investigate this case and search for the two robbers before executing their final bank robbery.
Hell or High Water features a star-studded cast of Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Jeff Bridges, and it is one of the best movies of its year. The film received praises for its brilliant and well-executed screenplay by Sheridan and noteworthy performances from Bridges and Foster. Hell or High Water received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Bridges, and Best Original Screenplay.
9 Jarhead (2005)
Life in the marine is not easy for everyone, especially Anthony Swofford, whose memoir was adapted into 2005's Jarhead. Portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, Swofford reminisces his life as a marine in the Gulf War, including the friends he made and the hardship he dealt with during the war.
Jarhead has spectacular visuals and cinematography depicting the war. Gyllenhaal also gives quite an impressive performance as Swofford, which earned him a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor - Drama. Three sequels were made since the original movie and they had direct-to-video releases.
8 Requiem For A Dream (2000)
This psychological drama follows the stories of four people whose lives are overtaken by drug addiction. Their addictions eventually take a toll in their life, where they experience tragic and harrowing consequences. While the movie primarily focuses on drug addiction, it also covers themes like loneliness and difficulties of accepting reality.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Requiem for a Dream is one of the most well-crafted yet one of the hardest to watch movies. The movie is noted for its brilliant and creative visuals, editing, and music, as well as its profoundly disturbing content. The drama has a talented cast of Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, and Ellen Burstyn, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
7 Brothers (2009)
Brothers follow a story about two siblings. One of the brothers enlists as a marine, but is presumed dead in Afghanistan. The other brother, a drifter, takes on responsibilities to help his brother's family, and eventually develops a romantic relationship with his sister-in-law. However, when news breaks that his brother is still alive, the family's life turns upside down once more.
The drama film has a talented cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, and Tobey Maguire, who all received praises for their performances. Brothers is a remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name and draws some inspiration from Homer's Odyssey.
6 The Basketball Diaries (1995)
This drama focuses on a high school teenager who is a talented basketball player. Unfortunately, the stress of school and basketball cause the young teenager to resort to heroin use, and he eventually develops an addiction to it. As he continues to risk his future for drugs, he looks to a friend to help him escape his addiction.
Like Cherry, The Basketball Diaries is based on an autobiography by Jim Carroll. Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed Carroll in the film and received high praises for his performance. Despite mixed reviews, it is considered one of the best basketball films ever made.
5 The Hurt Locker (2009)
The Hurt Locker highlights the experience and life of three soldiers in the Iraq War. When a Sergeant and a Specialist lose their Staff Sergeant after he's killed by an IED, a new Staff Sergeant joins their team. However, this Staff Sergeant works in unorthodox ways that do not suit or are not deemed safe by his crewmates.
Starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker was one of the best movies of its time and one of the best war movies released in the 21st century. The film is brilliant due to the immaculate direction from Kathryn Bigelow, unforgettable performance from Renner, and anxiety-inducing action scenes. The war movie received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Renner. It won six of those awards, such as Best Picture and Best Director for Bigelow (and notably, she was the first woman to win the prestigious award).
4 Forrest Gump (1994)
Despite being known as unintelligent, a kind-hearted Forrest Gump managed to live quite a successful life, from playing college football and becoming a war hero during the Vietnam War to founding a booming shrimp boat business. As he narrates his upbringing and success story, there is one person that he cannot stop thinking about, his childhood friend and love, Jenny.
Starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, Forrest Gump is an iconic film, highlighting themes of politics, war, and social movements. Critics and audience praised the movie for the screenplay and performance from Wright and Hanks. The film remains a favorite today, and is considered one of the best romantic movies of the 1990s. The comedy-drama drama won several Oscar awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hanks.
3 21 Grams (2003)
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, 21 Grams narrates the plots of three main characters: a sick mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again Christian. Despite little relation to each other, revelations from the past, present, and future eventually converge in their stories related to an accident.
The crime drama takes on a stylistic approach of a nonlinear narration with powerful and emotional performances from Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro. Both Watts and De Toro received Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
2 The Town (2010)
Four men from Boston are notorious for robbing a series of banks. However, their plans to continue their robbing spree turn problematic when the group's leader falls in love with a bank employee, a hostage from one of their heists, and wants to leave his criminal life for good. On the other hand, the FBI is searching for them as they plan their next target.
The Town features Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, and Jon Hamm. Affleck also directed and wrote the film in which he received compliments for his work. The crime drama was listed as one of the best movies of 2010 by the National Board of Review, and Renner received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
1 Gia (1998)
Gia is a television movie that centers on the life of supermodel Gia Carangi, portrayed by Angelina Jolie. As she rose in stardom, the death of a close friend and agent drives her to cocaine and heroin addiction. As her addiction worsens and her career declines, the unexpected occurs regarding her health.
Jolie completely embodied the role of Gia, and her emotional performance earned her a Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild Award. Gia is considered one of Jolie's best films to date. It also helped solidify her as one of the best actresses in Hollywood.
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