Sunday, January 20, 2008

NMR: The Ten

This was criminally overlooked by many due to its small release last August. If you're unfamiliar with the premise, it is a film comprised of ten comedic short stories each related to one of the ten commandments. Paul Rudd plays a character who has a story of his own that serves as a bridge between the ten stories.

The film's greatest flaw is its inconsistency. Some of the stories are absolutely brilliant and hilarious (like the one about coveting thy neighbor's goods which involves two neighbors competing with each other to see who can own the most CAT scan machines), others sound good on paper but don't play out as well as they do (like the one about thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife that involves a prison inmate yearning for another inmate's bitch), and some just aren't funny at all (like the one for keeping holy the sabbath day that involves a bunch of guys skipping church so that they can hang out together and be naked).

What makes The Ten a lot of fun is the rich cast full of comedic talent that show up throughout the film. Some of the people include Paul Rudd, Winona Rider, Liev Schreiber, Oliver Platt, Famke Jannsen, Jessica Alba, and several cast members from Reno 911.

If you're a religious person, you'll probably feel dirty for enjoying it. And if you're not a religious person, you won't feel guilty, but you may not appreciate the humor as much. While not a perfect film, there is enough humor to be found to make this a good rental. Netflix rating: ****

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