The Ten
Starring: Paul Rudd, Adam Brody, Winona Ryder, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, Liev Schreiber, Jessica Alba, Oliver Platt, Janeane Garofalo, Rob Cordrry, Michael Ian Black
Directed by: David Wain
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Paul Rudd) walks us through 10 stories, each representing one of the Ten Commandments.

Review:

Tim: The first thing you have to like about this movie is the cast. Director David Wain (whose background is, not surprisingly, in sketch-comedy) assembles an impressive and expansive cast. It is fun to see all these well-known actors in one movie. It is unfortunate that they don't all get screen time together. However, the cast is still impressive.

I was surprised that this comedy really wasn't all that funny. Yes, there are some good scenes, but there needed to be many, many more laughs. Far too many of the jokes fall flat or just don't work. The movie as a whole remains enjoyable, but you just wish it was a bit funnier.

I'd like to go back to the cast. Paul Rudd does a good job as our guide through the ten different stories. He's a very likeable guy, although he often appears a bit ridiculous in this film. Luckily, his charisma allows us to overlook this. Famke Janssen and Jessica Alba were both given woefully small roles. I desperately wish both had more screen time. Winona Ryder has one of the oddest roles (and a double-look required, crazy scene with a wooden puppet), but she's enjoyable here. Gretchen Mol stars in perhaps the most entertaining story (I also have to mention her amazing singing skills at the end- her very short verse in probably my favorite part of the whole movie). Liev Schreiber is involved in probably the worst story, so that was disappointing. Oliver Platt gives a surprisingly good performance. I actually loved his role in this. The rest of the cast is decent. Adam Brody is given a weak story and a weak role, so he's not great.

This comedy has enough going for it that it's worth checking out. Had the movie made me laugh more, I probably would have really, really liked it. As is, The Ten is an ambitious effort that falls flat. I was disappointed in the film, but not enough to be able to derive some enjoyment from it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Good Luck Chuck, Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer