The Ten is one of those films.
The follow up from the director of Wet Hot American Summer (a film I stumbled upon once on cable and have since become obsessed with), The Ten is quite possibly the best comedy you are never likely to see. That is, of course, unless you make the effort to hunt it down.
The
premise is quite simple, ten short vignettes (who am I kidding, they
are very weakly linked sketches) which chronicle the Bible's Ten
Commandments. All of them weird, all of them absurd - and all of them
have just as much impact and meaning as any bible parable (except
perhaps the one in which Winona Ryder gives a hand job to a puppet).
Each
story is introduced by Jeff Reigert (Paul Rudd), a man embroiled in his
own domestic infidelities, coping with the demands of his wife (Famke
Janssen) and girlfriend (Jessica Alba).
While
it may not serve everyone's sense of humour, for those who are on the
same wavelength - this is nothing short of a comic masterpiece.
As is the case with most of the best comedies these days (40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman), The Ten
just seems like a bunch of friends (admittedly, high profile Hollywood
friends including Adam Brody, Ron Silver, Justin Theroux, Liev
Schreiber and the aforementioned Alba - to name but a few) getting
together with a fairly loose script and freedom to ad lib at will.
Rudd
(who also serves as producer) delivers the most consistently
entertaining material here (his out-takes are superb) and seems at home
being able to spurt out some truly witty wordplay.
As for the
skits themselves, some obviously work better than others (highlights
include Adam Brody as a man stuck in the ground, Rob Cordy as an
in-love cell mate and Liev Schreiber as a man who competes with
his neighbour by buying Cat Scan Machines) but each story has a classic
moment of some sort within it (whether it be the repetition of a
Mexican saying "Vaaaaa-hi-na", or a child pitching an idea for a
"reality show about 12 homeless people battling it out to win a
penthouse" amidst a nuclear disaster).
This isn't one supported by the production or marketing budget of Pineapple Express, but delivers more laughs and is 100 times more intelligent (while still being completely over the top and stupid).
Hunt this one down, along with Wet Hot American Summer - they will be the best DVD investment you'll ever make.
DVD EXTRAS
To add to the appeal, there are a heap of quality extras
included on this disc. Even flicks that rake in millions at the Box
Office rarely have extras that you can stand to watch more than once,
but true to form - everything on here is just as enjoyable as the movie
itself.
Head straight for the Outtakes and the Deleted/Extended
Scenes - this is where the each performer is given the chance to shine.
Paul Rudd is fantastic (somehow managing to throw in a reference to Jerry McGuire's Jonathon Lipniki) while a sequence involving Liev Schreiber physically abusing cast members is a riot.
Also
included is a laugh-out-loud interview with David Wain, Paul Rudd and
Ken Marino - again, showing that the best comedy movies come from the
writers themselves.
Must have DVD!
Conclusion:
Movie 85% Extras: 75%
|
