SYNOPSIS:
Once the center of Hollywood, an aging actor finds that his
failure has made his career dry up and he's now forced to consider
a role in a small independent movie. While researching for the
role, he stumbles into Scarlet, a spitfire check out clerk at
a Latino community market. The two begin a trek through Los
Angeles finding richly unexpected situations, chance encounters
and personal revelation that neither character could ever have
anticipated.
MOVIE REVIEW:
I think before watching 10 Items or Less, please
be warned that this is not so much so a film but rather a
compilation, an observation of a day’s worth of events.
That is to say that it doesn’t exactly have a beginning
or end – or a tangible plot to begin with, and it’s
more or less like watching a continuous flow of randomness
and uneventful surprises. To put it simply: it’s like
watching an edited, secretly taped clip of, let’s just
say, a brother’s day in school. In other words, slice
of life.
Well,
I am making it more boring than it actually is, and it is
actually a pretty interesting film. Of course, the only catch
is that unlike your brother, the main character, Morgan Freeman
(as himself) is an out of work actor, and has been so for
the past four years. Which technically brings him down to
being one of the normal folks like us, but I should stop digressing
and go forth.
So
the film starts off with Freeman, ex-superstar, on a truck
having a playful conversation with his driver, and it is then
that we find out that he has been offered a role in…
an indie movie, directed by a first-time, and possibly inexperienced
director. He is on his way to Archie’s Ranch Market
to do some research on his next role, in fore-mentioned film,
as a supermarket’s manager. There, he meets the beautiful
Scarlet (Paz Vega), a moody and begrudged cashier who is upset
with her work environment (her co-workers are either lazy
or old) and current status in life. And oh, she’s in
charge of the “10 Items or Less” lane.
When
Freeman’s driver fails to come and pick him up after
his research is done, he tags along with Scarlet after she
finishes her shift, and… that’s when the ride
begins.
Of
course, in reality, Freeman is still moderately popular and
has had roles in recent blockbuster films like The Dark Knight
and Evan Almighty. Therefore, the concept that Freeman has
been out of a job for four years is very interesting, and
I do enjoy good movies about an alternate world as it lends
a fresh perspective to how people normally perceive things.
The
best thing about the 10 Items or Less is that it’s obvious
to anyone that Freeman thoroughly enjoyed making the movie,
enjoys acting in general, and that’s enough for me to
be sold.
While
it might not be the most entertaining movie (normal strangers
meeting each other in a chance encounter and having a connection),
gains points for innovativeness and creativity. Also, the
movie flows very naturally and I strongly suspect that the
leads did a couple of scenes with spontaneous and impromptu
acting on their part.
Do stay on even when the movie has ended, because there are
some interesting outtakes.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Almost nothing given, save for two trailers of movies
The Mist and Halloween.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Nothing
out of the box in the audio and visual department except the
usual Dolby Digital and Anamorphic Widescreen presentation.
MOVIE RATING:
(Pretty much … a day in an out-of-work actor’s
and down-on-luck cashier’s life)
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Casandra Wong
|
