I will at least have a look at almost anything that Netflix hits me with on my Home page. I figure I'll at least give it a shot so I can join in the conversation since nearly everyone else ends up watching this stuff too.
Most of what Netflix has been providing us with in 2021 has been a bit crap and since most studios have been closed or restricted it is kind of understandable. Brand New Cherry Flavor is a strange one, and really not at all like anything else I have ever seen and I suppose that is what makes it worth seeing.
The did a good job with the image used for the advert or at least it is the sort of thing that is going to make a horror fan like me at least have a look. I wouldn't really call this series horror although it does have some spooky moments. It's mostly a drama with horror elements, which is just fine.
The story is all about a girl named Lisa who travels to Los Angeles with big ideas about how she is going to become a director in tinsel town. She is told that there are some very interested parties out there that have seen a movie short that she made and are very interested in her work. She finds out very early on that Hollywood is filled with people that screw you over.
For some reason or another she meets a woman who calls herself Boro at a gallery opening or something and this is where we get to see Catherine Keener kind of shine. It took me a while to be sure who it was that I was looking at but she had this "I know this woman" type of feel to her acting. It was then that it occurred to me that the last thing I remember seeing her in was The 40-year old Virgin where she played Steve Carrel's love interest. Catherine does a very good job in this role as Boro and it was a surprise to me that this ended up being the case because I wouldn't really have though of her doing something like this if i was in charge of casting.
I think my favorite character out of the main bunch is probably Lou who is played by Eric Lange with a very convincing wig on. The only thing that I think might take away from his performance is that he is very clearly influenced by Jeff Goldblum in that he sounds and behaves exactly like Jeff Goldblum in this role.
The story can be a little difficult to follow but it isn't as perplexing as recent series like Dark for example. I would say you probably need to pay a bit of attention but it's not like you need to take notes or anything. The story itself is pretty basic and relies pretty heavily on gore and cringe, which it has in spades.
Should I watch it?
I tore through the entire series in 3 days so obviously it was something I enjoyed but I can see how it wouldn't be for kids. There is quite a lot of gore, sex, and violence so it definitely isn't for kids or even something I would put on with a child around. I think if you aren't hooked by the end of the 2nd episode you can just stop watching because it gets even more absurd from that point forward.
On another note I don't know how they consider this a "Limited Series" when there are 8 episodes? How long does something have to be in order to be "not limited?"
