By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: David Wain
Starring: Bobby Cannavale | Famke Janssen | Gretchen Mol | Justin Theroux | Ken Marino | Liev Schreiber | Olver Platt | Paul Rudd | Ron Silver | Winona Ryder
Country: united_states
Year: 2007
Running time: 93
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0811106/
Michael says: “I had been looking forward to THE TEN, David Wain’s follow-up to WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, since
I read about Winona Ryder playing a woman how has a relationship with a stolen ventriloquist’s dummy. THE TEN is an anthology film featuring ten short, inter-related stories based on the ten commandments, linked together with an interstitial tale starring Paul Rudd and Famke Janssen. It’s an odd premise, that could have worked, but this broad comedy lacks the sophistication and smarts of even a string of ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketches. The film was written by Wain and Ken Marino who also penned DIGGERS earlier this year, which wasn’t really my cup of tea. The pair also worked together on the television
show ‘The State.’
“The humor in THE TEN is certainly something that appeals to an audience, I’m just not part of that audience. Each story is based on a premise that is fairly amusing; but once that premise is stated, there isn’t much humor left in the telling. Not that I didn’t laugh on occasion, but there were many times where the rest of audience was laughing and I was inwardly groaning. The cast held some promise, including the aforementioned Ryder, Rudd and Janssen, Live Schreiber, Bobby Cannavale, Gretchen Mol, Justin Theroux, Oliver Platt, and Ron Silver, but for the most part the material didn’t give them much to work with. Winona Ryder gives it her all in her wacky role, and does a good job with it. Gretchen Mol and Justin Theroux are fun in their respective roles of a virginal librarian who finds love and sex with Jesus Christ. There’s also a terrific joke revolving around Dianne Wiest that Rudd really nails. Otherwise it all falls flat. 2 cats.”