Customer Reviews

10 Attitudes

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

When I first started acting, one of the first shows I was in had a really mean reviewer who basically said "the actors should be ashamed of themselves for working on such a tripe." My fellow cast members and I were shocked and hurt by this, as we worked hard on the play, and the comment came out of left field.

I say the same thing about this show, but the difference is this flic deserves it.

My partner and I watched this, and we tore it apart, as we both work in the 'biz'. Here are some of the problems we had with it:

The film doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a mockumentary in the Christopher Guest style (ala Mighty Wind, Best of Show, Waiting for Guffman), or is it a movie with a lot of non-sequitors?

Technically, the lighting was bad, filming was bad (there are sequences that were filmed without a tripod, and should have), it was badly edited (there were portions that didn't match up), the sound didn't quite synch.

The lead actor is playing himself, not a character. I don't think he really understands what the character is feeling, which is odd, because he also wrote the script. It is sad when the lead actor can't match his energy and talents to the likes of the name talent the director hired (David Faustino, Judy Tenuta, etc.) The fact that he looks like Christopher Guest doesn't help him either, because it convinced me if he's trying to be something he is not.

In Theatre 101, we are taught about who the audience is supposed to care about at the end. That person should have been the lead actor, but he is so annoying and whiny we felt sorry for the guys he tried to date.

The script is missing a lot of things, like background exposition. It would help explain why the lead character feels and acts the way he does.

The writer/lead actor took what could have been a great concept for a very funny movie and created such a convoluded melodrama not worth the rental fee.

I start by saying I have seen worse movies. Picture quality was poor but the concept was good it just could have been done better. Witty yes but some of the acting was wooden. It wasn't a total waste of money. However if we had the ability to sell as second hand here in Australia it would be in the 'For Sale" bin.

I guess if you're in the mood for some mindless, silly flick, then this little fluff piece might work for you. It's a little tired (man finds his boyfriend cheating and goes on a series of predictably comical dates until...) nothing.

That's right, nothing. It ends with a thud. I got tired of the whiny lead and his ceaseless "dates" in this movie with little plot and no story. It reminded me of "Lie Down With Dogs" which was similarly semi-entertaining and similarly without point. But "Dogs's" pacing was better as well as its ending.

I didn't recommend "Dogs," even though it's better than this. I wouldn't bother with either.

I thought at first that the idea behind this movie would be kind of cute. Started watching it and became desillusioned very quickly. This homemade movie is filled with stereotypes of what gay men should be. Not only that but it also mentions what gay men should not be such as older, more bulky and anything that is not twink. The story is not funny although this is a comedy. I have to say the actors in the movie were laughing a lot more than we were, watching them. Horrible movie, bad acting...

Someday, gay cinema will become a mature genre with intelligent plots, good dialog, and high quality cinematography. Unfortunately, this film will not be blazing that trail.

Here's the plot: my cheating boyfriend dumped me and I need a date or I'm going home to mother.

Here are the characters: ten gay stereotypes from central casting (mercifully, many of them never get to speak, so you can ogle their bare-chested bodies without worrying too much about missing anything), one best friend (who has a bitchy old boyfriend for "comic relief"), a "love support group", and one lead character who needs a serious reality check.

Here's the biggest problem: who decided to film this production with mom's camcorder at your friend's outdoor restaurant one night? Poor visuals, shaky camera angles and horrible sound (hmmm, who would have thought that it would be noisy filming outside in the evening along a busy street?) render this film tedious.

Then, there's always the contrived plot, the need for a continuity expert (the disappearing and reappearing goattee) and car "accident", and you have your basic film festival entry with aspirations that the next one will have a bigger budget.

I would have liked some characters with complexity here, perhaps exploring the sexual tensions between the lead and the best friend, or going more into the childhood incidents to explain this neurotic character's life choices. Perhaps the writer will do that in the next film.

Avoid this movie, it is almost unwatchable. Save your money or better still send the money directly to the director who can then afford to purchase a tripod on which to place his camera and if there is any money over he could put it towards post synching the dialogue.
The premise of the plot is quite good, however it really needs a charismatic lead actor and unfortunately this movie does not have one. A lost opportunity.

I thought this was a cute little movie. At times it was contrived, and stereotypical, but I guess something resonated in the movie with me. The movie is about Josh, a gay man in his 30s who finds out his boyfriend of 10 years is cheating on him with a younger man. His friend talks him into going on 10 dates. The dates I thought were kind of funny, he meets all these losers but maintains a humor about it that was funny. The ending I found to be overly cliche, where it is assumed that he starts dating the guy who made fun of him in school years ago. I thought it was a cute movie though that was fun to watch. Nothing groundbreaking or anything but just fun.

The movie 10 attitudes, directed by Michael Gallant, is a story about a 10 year relationship that comes to an end when Josh (Jason Stuart) finds his boyfriend engaged in having an affair with a kid half his age. Josh then agrees to have his bestfriend Brandon (Christopher Cowen) find the man of his dreams in 10 dates or less or Josh will move back to Ohio.
The script has possibilites for some serious comedy and the talented cast expands to include David Fasutino and Alexandra Paul, however what develops is a painful (and I do mean painful) attempt of comedy with ten different skits. The people that Josh agrees to go out with is pitiful to say the least. The movie crams in every gay cliche and stereotype imaginable from drug users, alcoholic drunks, and emotional cripples to sex maniacs and the mentally unstable. The use of 10 dates losses it charm quickly and becomes tiring with the same drama unfolding (cheaters, liars, drug abusers, lunatics) and it becomes so predictable and boring you resist the urge to fast forward through the dates to save yourself from falling asleep.
The only bright spots was the charming Christopher Cowen, who along with David Faustino and Alexandra Paul resist the need to over act their parts, yet cannot compensate for a movie were the director has lost all control and what emerges from 10 attitudes is simple madness and mayhem.

Is it possible for a 30-something single gay man to find true love (not just sex) in West Hollywood? That's the question in "10 Attitudes" (2001), an ambitious but very low budget (and often looks/sounds like it) from first-time director Michael Gallant, who also co-wrote it with its star, openly gay comedian/actor Jason Stuart.

Jason plays Josh, a 30-something nebbish Jewish caterer who discovers his boyfriend of ten years has been cheating on him, and who dreads the idea of having to resume dating at his age, in a city that is more attuned to younger, buff men looking just for "hook ups." He considers moving back home to Cleveland, but his younger best friend Brandon (played with wit and charm by newcomer Christopher Cowan) gets him to agree to a bet: Brandon will fix him up with ten dates and, if he doesn't find true love by the last one, he is free to give up on Southern CA and move back to Ohio. First step is a makeover, including a campy romp at a clothing store managed by Tex (Jm J Bullock), then an attempt at meeting people from an online site (great for hooking up for sex, but not to find someone to love), and participation in a strange support group run by Glenda (Judy Tenuta). There are also flashbacks to Josh getting bullied in high school, and time spent with his sister and her intolerant husband.

As you would expect, the dates are largely disasters, ranging from psychos to boy-band fanatics, lots of guys willing to "hook up" but few that would likely even be capable of love. The dates do include entertaining cameos from David Faustino ("Married With Children") and Sean Kanan ("The Bold and the Beautiful"), and a connection with a young hustler whom he originally met in the support group. The viewer can't help but root for Josh when he finally meets someone who appears to be "the one", and cry along whenever he gets let down. The overall moral is that finding "Mr. Right" is tough, but you have to keep at it, and trust that he will find you when the time is right.

It's a shame, with a diverse and talented cast such as it has, that the director could not have financed a bigger budget. Some of the scenes shot in public places are poorly lighted, or the sound is poor (Ironically, one scene in the outtakes has perfect sound, while the same scene they actually used, which is a pivotal one toward the end of the film, can barely be understood.) I also didn't need to listed to the director commentary to realize that much of the dialogue is adlibbed by the actors (The surprise was that some of it was actually scripted!), perhaps not that risky when dealing with a primary actor who has a background in improv comedy, but the subject matter and its viewers would have been much better served if the production was more structured. I do give it extra credit for some interesting bonus features on the DVD, including a clever inclusion of all of the "eye candy" from the film. Won audience awards at a couple of gay film festivals, and generally reviewed positively by critics, but this won't be everyone's cup of campy tea. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

10 ATTITUDES is a low budget, first film by director Michael Gallant that examines the highs and lows of contemporary dating that feels so spontaneous that it seems more like overhearing conversations in a cafe rather than a scripted movie. And for this tale of frustrated companion shopping, the minor details of awkward editing, obvious hand held camera use, and making the best of available lighting in real locations just doesn't matter.

What does matter is the pacing and the funny (and not so funny) lines of each of the characters in this ensemble piece. Josh (Jason Stuart) is a thirties-something gay caterer in a long-term relationship with a lothario who embarrassingly discovers his partner's lifestyle en flagrant. Devastated and disillusioned, Josh wants to leave West Hollywood and return to Cleveland, but his closest friend Brandon (Christopher Cowan - a very fine, young, natural actor) supports him by promising to arrange ten dates within a weeks' time, a cadre among whom Brandon bets Jason will find a new love and remain in West Hollywood. If no new love is found, Jason will return home to lick his wounds.

Josh gets the clothes makeover from Tex (JM J Bulock) and some tips on dating from various friends and therapist types (Judy Tenuta, Alexandra Paul, Lydia Nicole and more) and begins his arranged dating with 10 of some of the most diverse types everyone who has played the dating game has encountered (and incidentally there is a lot of fine eye candy here!). None of the 10 "attitudes" (for that is what these men represent) works out and Jason is about to depart for Cleveland (Brandon obviously lost his bet) when things change. And that change is well written and worth the surprise wait.

What this film lacks in technical skill it makes up for in spirit, and if you are able to dispense with the production means and concentration the acting and the message of "10 ATTITUDES", you are in for a treat. This is a fine social comment about a problem that afflicts not only this gay population of the film, but relationships across the board. A brief, if technically flawed, breath of fresh air from some very talented people!

Grady Harp