Customer Reviews

10 Items or Less

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Knowing when to end a movie is just as important as casting, directing and acting. And it's nice to see when a director/script get it right. Clocking in at just 82 minutes, 10 ITEMS OR LESS doesn't stretch the story, trying to grasp at inane topics. It stays focused, being funny, sad, and well thought out.

Morgan Freeman (Lucky Number Slevin) stars as "Him", an aging actor grasping at any roles presented to him. We're introduced to "Him" as he travels to a supermarket in an out-of-the-way section of town by The Kid (Jonah Hill, Click). Realizing he has a star in his car, The Kid pressures Him to talk about his absence in cinema over the past few years. Him isn't very forthcoming because, not only has he been out of it for while, he's also en route to a shooting location of an indie film he might act in ("I haven't decided if I'm going to accept the part."). The Kid is a relative of the director involved in this indie venture and soon drops him in the middle of nowheresville. Stuck, Him decides to check out the local market. He immediately runs into the beautiful Scarlet (Paz Vega, Spanglish) who operates the 10 items or less register. Not just strikingly pretty but intelligent, Him begins using her as his prime research subject for his upcoming independent film role. He learns how she figures out numbers so quickly and why she knows the quirks of every member of this isolated community.

But Him doesn't just use Scarlet, he helps her so he can see deeper into her life. They travel together to get her car back from a cheating husband, and he teaches her how to act to get a new job she's pining for, and how to dress for success even when confronted with Target as the epitome of local clothing. This is probably one of the funniest moments as we get a glimpse of Him, too, showing his complete lack of understanding of the chain-store retail world ("These shirts are only $12 bucks! How is this possible?!")

The ending, as stated at the beginning of this review, is abrupt but apropos. There's no way these two could ever remain friends even though they form a unique bond. They know when to say goodbye and what each garnered from the other. It's a quiet but riveting moment as Scarlet's clunker car sits idling outside Him's L.A. mansion.

This is a great independent production and one that wastes little time getting going. And it won't waste your time either.

He's (Morgan Freeman) not making a commitment, he's just doing research. He's a known actor, who's made a film with Ashley Judd, but hasn't been in a film in four years. The indie film company drops him off in a market where he meets Scarlet.

Scarlet (Vega) is the 10 items or less aisle checker. She's running the market while the manager and his new girlfriend (Scarlet is his ex) are messing around.

When Freeman's ride home doesn't show up, Scarlet takes him home on her way to a job interview. In helping to fix her up, Freeman regains his own confidence.

"10 Items" is an interesting character driven film, which Freeman and Vega can mostly carry. I found myself noting a bit too much product placement in this vehicle, but it's still an endearing tale of two very unalike people who are able to help each other.

If you want to laugh, think hard, grin and maybe look at life differently, enjoy this film. You can't help but thoroughly be engrossed in it.

10 ITEMS OR LESS was made in two weeks on a shoestring budget by writer/director Brad Silberling, just a little film shot in Carson, CA that feels like the entire story was improvised...in the best sense of the word. Silberling had the good fortune to pair veteran actor Morgan Freeman, in between his big projects, with Spanish actress Paz Vega, and the result is a dialogue between two people from different vantages who manage to enhance the life of the other.

Morgan Freeman plays himself - yet part of the comedy is that he is depicted as an actor who has been out of work for four years, scouting a location for a little 'filler film' to get back into the flow of things. His 'role' is to be that of a market manager and he is dropped off at seedy market in Carson where he encounters, among others, one Scarlet, the girl at the argumentative 10 Items or Less checkout line. Not only is Scarlet tired of her static job, she is also generally angry about her philandering husband (Bobby Cannavale), currently sleeping with Scarlet's lazy co-worker (Anne Dudek), and her lack of ability to get a decent job elsewhere. The two pair after a few shared problems and off they go on a 'road trip' that results in each of the characters growing from the presence and life story of the other.

It is a simple story, simply told, but because of the tender bonding between Freeman and Paz it works very well. This is one of those little films about human relationships where being vulnerable to change and exchange is the message. It is well worth viewing, and this is a DVD that has featurettes that are touching, informative, and comic - a pleasure to view. Grady Harp, April 07

This movie proves you don't always have to spend millions of dollars and 6 months to year year to churn out the world's greatest epic. In the case of 10 Items or Less the movie was filmed in 15 days. The locations were Carson and Brentwood, CA. And a good deal of the story takes place in Archie's Ranch Market, Target, and a car wash. And this is one of the best films to come along - well - in a long time!

Morgan Freeman portrays a nameless (but very recognizable) actor who hasn't worked in four years. He's considering a part, as a store manager, for an independent film. Feeling the need to research this part before committing to the role, Freeman's character is dropped off at a Carson grocery market. And this is where he meets the "10 Items or Less" checkout girl, Scarlet Morales, played by the incomparable Paz Vega. They wind up spending a serendipitous day together. Their lives couldn't be more different, but they share a congruity. Both are somewhat trapped by their own intertia. The actor hasn't stepped beyond Brentwood in a long while and Scarlet hasn't stepped out of Carson.

Freeman's character is stranded with no cash - just a Diner's Club card (Thank you, Diner's Club). He can't remember his own phone number. Scarlet is the sharp, practical and pragmatic one and once she retrieves her Gremlin from estranged husband/store manager, they are in business.

What makes this movie amazing is the bond that forms between the actor and Scarlet. She has an job interview scheduled later that day. The actor puts his desire to get home on hold to help Scarlet prepare for the "audition."

It's worth the price of admission when you come to the scene in Target. The actor has never stepped foot into a discount department store. His first comment is "This is amazing." Scarlet responds sardonically, "It's Target."

The carwash scene is the next gem-he decides Scarlet's Gremlin needs some spiffing up before she pulls up for the interview. Whether it's the carwash, Target, or even Arby's, Freeman's character has a wonderful way of engaging people and Scarlet adds that sense of grounded reality. Each learn something from the other.

Another scene to watch for involves Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman near the end of the movie.

The soundtrack (which unfortunately is not available) is kick-butt to say the least. You find yourself humming it in your head long after the DVD has been put away.

I became totally engrossed in this film. This is a simple movie with a story line over one day. It is about two people who underestimate their job skills and themselves. They learn a lot from each other about their capabilities.

Running only seventy-two minutes, this small, overlooked 2006 dramedy is really just a two-character sketch piece but one that works very well within its limitations. Taking place almost entirely in various, non-descript spots in southern Los Angeles, the story itself is inconsequential, but like Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, the film is far more about two strangers who meet unexpectedly, find a common bond and go back to their lives enlightened for the momentous encounter. It also helps considerably that Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega are playing the characters. Finally freed of the wise sages and authority figures beyond reproach that have become his big-screen specialty, Freeman seems comparatively liberated as a somewhat self-indulgent movie star. His character is driven to a low-rent grocery store in Carson, where he will be able to research a role he is considering in an indie film.

Out of work for a few years, he is embarrassed when he sees DVDs of his films in the bargain bin, but his ego is such that he does not lack the temerity to watch and even mimic the enervated store staff. Of particular fascination to him is Scarlet, an embittered worker from Spain and relegated to the express line where she is the unsung model of efficiency. She has an interview for a secretarial job at a construction company, but her deep-seeded insecurity seems to defeat her chances already. Still looking like Penelope Cruz's Amazonian sister, the beautiful Vega (one of the few redeemable aspects of James L. Brooks' execrable Spanglish) brings a stinging edge and realistic vulnerability to Scarlet. She and Freeman interplay very well throughout the story, which includes stops not only at the grocery store but also at Target, Arby's and a full-service carwash. Nothing earth-shattering happens except to show how two people realize the resonating transience of chance encounters.

Director/screenwriter Brad Silberling keeps the proceedings simple, but the production also reflects expert craftsmanship in Phedon Papamichael's vibrant cinematography (he lensed Alexander Payne's Sideways) and the infectious score by Brazilian composer Antonio Pinto (City of God). There are fast cameos by Bobby Cannavale (as Scarlet's soon-to-be-ex-husband) and as themselves, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, as well as funny bits with Jonah Hill (Knocked Up) as the clueless driver and Jim Parsons (the "knight" in Garden State) as a worshipful receptionist. The 2007 DVD is overstuffed with extras, including a making-of documentary, "15 Days or Less", aimed at film students and running a marathon 103 minutes; six extended scenes; a light-hearted but insightful three-way conversation between Silberling, Freeman and Vega in the middle of Target; and a couple of snippets that specifically advertise the DVD.

I'd recommend that you do this: DON'T read anymore about this movie, just buy or rent the DVD right now and watch it. You'll want to watch it several times, and you will enjoy every moment of the deleted scenes, and the special features.
GO! NOW! DO IT!
(if you haven't figured it out, I loved 10 Items or Less)

I'd have to say that this movie is just perfect. It's proof that one person really can make all the difference in another's life.

I just love Morgan Freeman as Him, and Paz Vega is my new favorite foreign actress. The two together are just golden.

I can't really describe how this movie makes me feel, witnessing these two characters changing each other's lives with every word, every emotion and motion. It's a true delight to see such a moving film that is so funny and sweet, so simple and engaging and has the perfect ending. A definite keeper in my collection.

You can tell this was a fun diversion movie for Morgan Freeman. Yes, it's a fairly unlikely story, but who doesn't want a little lighthearted humorous entertainment once in awhile. I got it as a netflix rental, came here to see if there was a soundtrack for it - I'm disappointed to see there isn't one. Guess I can buy the songs individually - great mariachi band style music; I thought it was great!