Available at Amazon.com
Writer/Director:
Brad Silberling
Cast:
Morgan Freeman .Him
Paz Vega .Scarlet
First Look Pictures presents 10 Items or Less. Running time: 82 minutes. Rated R (for language). Now available on DVD.
Morgan Freeman’s been around. Close to seventy, his body of work has its fair share of hits and “not-so-good’s.” For every Shawshank Redemption or Million Dollar Baby, there’s a Chain Reaction or Dreamcatcher to blemish his resume. Fingers shouldn’t be aimed just at him, however; an actor can only do so much with the words he’s given. Which is an interesting thought, as his character in 10 Items or Less is an actor researching his next, great role: a grocery store manager.
The running joke of this Brad Silberling slice of life comedy is that Freeman is playing himself. He comes close, and many of us would like to believe this is how he would behave when cameras weren’t rolling. But it is near impossible to look past the subtle hints, like people asking about that Ashley Judd movie he was in.
Freeman is never referred to by name — acknowledged in the credits only as “Him” — he is anonymous. Maybe it’s for the best. He wants to keep a low profile, doesn’t want to make his presence known to the paparazzi. Photographers could probably care less, instead preferring stuck-up socialites who drive without a license. So it is to be expected that being dropped off by a production assistant in front of a small grocery mart isn’t going to attract throngs of flashing bulbs.
He hasn’t officially agreed to play the role of a grocery store manager in an independent production — but being out of the limelight for two years, his options are limited. And he isn’t getting any younger. Still, he takes his situation in stride and sees the jaunt to the mart for a few hours as great character research. Watching others go about their lives, ringing up groceries and restocking the shelves. Such tasks we may consider mind-numbing he finds fascinating. For a man who makes his living in Hollywood, there’s a detachment to be had. Simply put, most actors can’t begin to understand the concept of a 40-hour workweek. Where catered lunches or valet parking should not be expected.
The time in the store is his reconnection to the rest of the world. It is there he encounters Scarlet (Paz Vega), a self-sufficient gal who presides over her “10 Items or Less” checkout stand like a well-seasoned veteran. So proficient she is, most times she can total the amount of a purchase without pulling the items from the grocery baskets. Studying her, he acknowledges her efficiency with numbers saying his ADD would make it impossible for him to calculate ten items. Or less. The two strike up a rapport. The two are a nice balance: she works hard and is a little sweet and saucy; he’s scraggly and needs a job.
And their spur-of-the-moment friendship couldn’t have come at a better time. The production assistant fails to return to the store and pick “Him” up, and he’s left to fend for himself. His detached Hollywood lifestyle rears its ugly head as he can’t remember his own phone number; his agent, who may or may not be Jewish, is nowhere to be found because it is a Jewish holiday.
Being the kind person she is, Scarlet offers him a lift back to cushy Brentwood. So begins a learning experience. On the way she will learn to be more confident, letting her ambition open doors, not cash registers. He will get a better understanding of the world and its wonders.
Before dropping him off in Brentwood, Scarlet has a job interview. The two stop off at a Target store so she can clean herself up and get a new outfit. The visit proves to be an eye opening one for Morgan Freeman, or the character he plays rather, as he can’t believe the prices for designer T-shirts. Not because the prices are extreme, but because everything is so cheap. (All of his clothes are hand-me-downs from past movie productions.)
Brad Silberling has had a spotty career as a director (City of Angels, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the criminally underrated Moonlight Mile), but his low budget experiment here is a pleasant, little film. The interaction Scarlet and “Him” have is comparable to starting a conversation with someone on the subway or airplane. They are short-lived acquaintances that don’t extend beyond the scope of a row of seats.
At less than 82 minutes, sans the end credits, 10 Items or Less is a one-act play; the characters may not achieve their goals — Scarlet wants to get out of the “would you like paper or plastic?” industry and move on to something better — but you get a sense of self-discovery and that a change will occur. And with an airy tone, such goals are likely to be achieved sooner rather than later.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen)
Shot on the cheap, one should not expect a visual feast. Nevertheless, 10 Items or Less has a serviceable video transfer. Different shooting locales around California offer varying degrees of color. A Carson car wash has a seventies appeal with vintage furnishings. The grocery mart where Scarlet works has a small-town feel.
THE AUDIO
(English — Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby 2.0 stereo)
Both audio mixes are adequate, Dolby 5.1 more so than just plain stereo. The soundtrack has some catchy tunes; most notable is Kemo the Blaxican’s “La Receta” which plays as Morgan Freeman’s character joins the Carson car washers in drying off Scarlet’s Gremlin. Since the city of Carson has a large melting pot population, many blacks and Hispanics, the song encapsulates the region as a whole. Also included are optional English and Spanish subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES
For a movie that was shot on a shoestring budget, the DVD includes a number of supplements, which document the work that went into making 10 Items or Less in 15 days.
The first extra offered is a commentary with Brad Silberling. Like his commentary for the Lemony Snicket DVD release, Silberling does not wow you with technical mumbo jumbo. Instead, he educates us on the story’s origins, the fast-paced shooting schedule and the like.
For a technical look at 10 Items or Less, there’s the documentary 15 Days or Less. David Prior, who has wowed us with his DVD features for Fight Club and Blade II, gives us an extensive (103 minutes, give or take), behind-the-scenes look at the film’s production. With a 15-day shooting schedule, not a minute is wasted. It begins with the first read-through, with Freeman, Vega, and actors who may have only one or two lines in the entire feature. The reading is quick and then it’s on to shooting the picture. From time to time we’ll cut to Silberling discussing what he wanted to accomplish for certain sequences, or we’ll get some muffled audio from him interacting with his assistant directors and cinematographers regarding upcoming shots. Some of what is shown is interesting, like learning that the “second team” were stand-ins for the main actors. (One of Paz Vega’s stand-ins was a guy.) But there are times when the doc meanders and nothing of interest is happening.
The highlight for me was seeing Day 12: Brentwood. The house that double’s as Freeman’s belongs to comedienne Phyllis Diller. As they chat inside she mentions the prison movie he did. She can’t remember the name. “Shawshank Redemption,” Freeman informs her. Then she makes a subtle jab: “Shawshank, kinda sounds like Brokeback.”
The six deleted scenes (20:17 overall) vary in degree. The first one, “The Full Packy” is an extension of the conversation Freeman has with Jonah Hill’s character, the Production Assistant, while riding to the grocery mart to do research. You can’t help but laugh at what Freeman considers an unfulfilling movie role, a role that doesn’t matter. Also included are extensions and alternate takes to scenes already in the finished project. Here, you can hear Freeman and Vega do their best British accents, and see a full product demonstration at Target with “Mop Lady at Work.”
20 Questions or Less (13:43) is a roundtable discussion, without the roundtable, with Silberling, Freeman and Vega sitting in white plastic chairs in the middle of an aisle at Target. It’s a fun, upbeat chat, even though the aforementioned documentary would have us believe that this chat occurred in the dead of night after shooting was completed.
Now we move to the superfluous stuff added for the DVD release. 10 Reasons to Watch 10 Items or Less on DVD and Who Is Him? are faux commercials/public service announcements. The first has Freeman and Vega counting down ten reasons to stay at home and not go to the theater. “Nobody kicking the back of your chair,” Freeman tells us. The second spot has Alexandra Berardi, the “Mop Lady,” explaining her encounter with “Him”.
Completing the extras are the film’s theatrical trailer and trailers for other First Look Pictures releases: Caffeine, Relative Strangers, Mr. Fix It, and Sleeping Dogs Lie.
THE INSIDE PULSE
10 Items or Less may be light on plot and total running time, but it is a movie worth discovering on DVD. Morgan Freeman proves again why he is a screen legend. His “Him” character is unlike anything he’s done in recent memory. Freeman has been quoted as saying he did Batman Begins for the paycheck. I doubt he could make the same claim for Brad Silberling’s shoestring production. The chemistry he has with Paz Vega is undeniable; the two play off each other effortlessly. This is especially true in the Target store. For one instance Freeman shows off his specially made T-shirt that accentuates the bicep (“Clint Eastwood taught me this”) and she just rolls her eyes. Good times.
