The Ten (***)
review by Jon
Waterman
How well do you know the Ten Commandments? If you’re
not Christian, probably not very well, and even if you are,
maybe not so much. Who am I to say? But if you want to learn
more about them (meaning what they are) in movie format, then “The
Ten” is here to help. You’ll be taken through ten
short stories, one for each commandment detailing why sinning
is bad and what it can lead to. Did I mention it’s a
comedy? And that Kirk Cameron is not involved?
Actually, I think it’s pretty safe to say that none
of the actors involved here wear their religious beliefs on
their sleeves. Devout Christians beware; this movie could very
easily piss you off. Personally, I laughed quite a bit. The
film starts off slow as the first couple stories or so, along
with the interstitials, lay down the ground work for future
comedic opportunities and call-back jokes. It’s also
surprisingly tough to get into when you think each section
is going to be completely independent. When you start to see
some of the characters recurring, it makes it a little easier
to get involved with what you’re seeing. Bottom line,
if you aren’t laughing by the time mustachioed neighbors
(played by Liev Schreiber and Joe Lo Truglio) try to one up
each other by buying CAT Scan machines, then maybe you don’t
even have a soul.
I shouldn’t say that. The humor in this movie isn’t
going to be for everyone. If you know the 90s sketch comedy
troupe “The State,” or other work by their members
(shows “Viva Variety,” “Stella” and “Reno
911”) and you like it, then there’s a good chance
you’ll enjoy this too. All told ten of the eleven cast
members of “The State,” what I consider the best
sketch comedy group to come out of the United States, appear
in the film (no Michael Patrick Jann to be found). Member David
Wain (Jewish, “Wet Hot American Summer”) directs
and co-writes with fellow alum Ken Marino (“Diggers”).
Followers of the ensemble will also recognize a lot of familiar
faces in the supporting roles such as A.D. miles, H. Jon Benjamin,
Nina Hellman and the prolific and always welcome Paul Rudd.
In large, the ensemble cast does a great job of hitting all
the comedic marks with great timing and understanding of where
the joke is. Of course with a cast this large, there are bound
to be a couple rough spots and here they happen to be with
Adam Brody and Jessica Alba. Brody is just plain dry, but Alba
is especially painful to watch as she forces her delivery.
Winona Ryder likes to ham it up sometimes, too, although it
fit her character a little better.
Aside from the whacked out musical ending, I really liked
how the stories flowed into each other to add that little extra
something. There’s a lot of subtle humor that ends up
going along with that which is greatly appreciated. Plus you
get the best human-on-puppet sex scene I’ve seen since “Cybercity.” Even
if this isn’t your brand of humor, and it may not make “The
Top Ten,” but I can still guarantee it’ll be funnier
than the “Dekalog” series.
respond to jon@filmbrats.com
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