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Like in many of his late directorial efforts Blake Edwards, who is still best remembered for his immensely funny PINK-PANTHER-Series, analyses modern relationships between men and women in this likeable, sometimes very funny, slapstick-heavy and loosely structured sex comedy about a midlife-crisis-plagued and foolish composer who in pursuit of his dream woman risks his life, his relationship with his girlfriend and, well, also his teeth, but eventually realises that sticking with the woman who deserves a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10 is sometimes better than reaching for the one who would score 11. This 24th Edwards-directed movie, which he also wrote and produced, garnered two Oscar nominations for its music by Henry Mancini and divided like most of his sex comedies of the 80ies and 90ies most of the American and European critics, the latter ones always being amused by the rude, nasty, but also warm humour and the others offended by it. However, though failing to be the great comedy it could certainly have been, 10 is still okay entertainment thanks to a great comedic performance by Dudley Moore in the lead, a amiable supporting cast and some hilariously funny slapstick scenes. Apart from being a back-to-box-office-success-movie for Edwards, who suffered in the 70ies with more thoughtful movies like WILD ROVERS (1971), THE CAREY TREATMENT (1972) and THE TAMARIND SEE (1974) it was also the breakthrough-movie for 80ies Sex symbol Derek.I have to admit that I was a little bit surprised finding 10 in the breakfast program of a German TV-Channel. After all the talk about the breathtaking appearance of the nowadays almost forgotten Bo Derek in the film and the adult story I didn't think of it appearing on TV that early in the morning. There you have the difference between the European and the American! The latter one would have probably showed the movie at least after 8 o'clock p.m., but here no one cares. And here almost everybody who saw the film thinks of it as one of the 80ies-cult-movies.Life as a composer. George (Dudley Moore) is a 42-years-old, small, successful movie composer who lives in a big house in the hills and drives a expensive Rolls Royce. The beautiful stage actress Sam (Julie Andrews) is his girlfriend. His neighbour is a sex maniac who enjoys wild Sex-Parties with a lot of women, so that George can use his telescope to take a pick at them. Sam doesn't like that, but he doesn't really care about that. He has other problems. He is in the mid-stage of a horrible midlife-crisis, where even his psychiatrist (John Hancock) nor his sensible gay friend Hugh (Robert Webber) can't help him out of. There's something missing in his perfect life.11 out of 10. Then one day while stopping on the Santa Monica Boulevard in his Rolls Royce he has a vision of a beautiful woman sitting right next to him in a black car. She looks at him, turns away and disappears. She's on the way to her wedding. George is struck and can't do nothing but follow the gorgeous woman to her marriage and is stung by a bee in the church. But that won't be the only pain he suffers while his restless and adventurous pursuit of his dream woman, whose name is by the way Jenny and is played by the adorable Bo Derek. He has six cavities painfully filled by her father, who is a dentist. Groggy from pain pills and brandy, he falls from his house into the pool of his neighbour where his girlfriend finds him and breaks up with him. Then he finds himself aboard an aeroplane flying to Mexico, where Jenny, the girl who scores 11 out of 10, spends her honeymoon with her athletically build husband.A Shot in the Dark. Despite having a one-joke-movie in his hands Blake Edwards, who since his entry in the director's chair has always been a versatile, but uneven filmmaker bringing some of the most famous Hollywood Pictures of the Sixties like BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961), DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1962) and, of course, THE PINK PANTHER and A SHOT IN THE DARK (both 1964) to the screen, manages to pull of some very funny set-pieces who lift the tiresomely structured and pretty slowly paced comedy to acceptable entertainment, that might waste some of its chances and talents, but recovers through some really memorable moments of highly enjoyable silly slapstick scenes. After sleeping through the slow opening you can laugh through the gags turning up back to back. One of the funniest being the lovemaking-scene between Moore and Derek, where the song "Bolero" by Ravel has to be played to make her horny. But the record player strikes at the best parts of it. Missed the target, but hit some of the audience.He Laughed Last. Dudley Moore, who by know is just another face from those old movies made in the eighties, carries the whole movie. He is perfectly cast as the movie's protagonist giving a very likeable performance in a very selfish character, which is a achievement by a comedic genius. He delivered almost the same excellent performance two years later as the selfish, but likeable title character in ARTHUR (1981) and got his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. The Supporting Cast is a fine selection of likeable players who sadly don't really emerge as real characters. There you have for example the beautiful Julie Andrews who is too much off screen to really bring her character to life and is actually wasted by her real-life-husband Edwards. Casting her in this role isn't much of a surprise 'cause George seems like an alter ego to Edwards who after seeking for the over-perfect woman realises in the pretentious final act the movie's message: "Stay with your wife, pal! There are women out there who deserve 11, but the ones with the 10 won't betray you and will always wait for you to come back." Oh, come on! The rest of the cast is appealing. With Brian Dennehy standing behind a desk and smiling and Robert Webber looking always a little bit worried at his athletic lover or at the see and Dee Wallace looking, well, just fine.In the Meantime, Darling. Of course, the movie is also a voyeuristic pleasure, because while Andrews is presented somewhat colourless the film's sensation is actually Bo Derek, who starred here in her third film and became the overnight sex symbol of the following decade. She is gorgeously beautiful and she is breathtakingly attractive, though she isn't really a character or anything else in the movie than a symbol or just a vision of a perfect woman from another world. She isn't playing, she's posing, and for some (men) that might be just enough.
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