10 (1979)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writer:

Blake Edwards (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A temptingly tasteful comedy for adults who can count.

Plot:

A Hollywood songwriter goes through a mid-life crisis and becomes infatuated with a sexy blonde newlywed.

Plot Keywords:

Songwriter | Mexico | Newlywed | Beach | Rescue

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 nominations

Cast

Dudley Moore	...	George Webber
Julie Andrews	...	Samantha Taylor
Bo Derek	...	Jenny Hanley
Robert Webber	...	Hugh
Dee Wallace	...	Mary Lewis
Sam J. Jones	...	David Hanley (as Sam Jones)
Brian Dennehy	...	Donald
Max Showalter	...	Reverend
Rad Daly	...	Josh Taylor
Nedra Volz	...	Mrs. Kissell
James Noble	...	Dr. Miles
Virginia Kiser	...	Ethel Miles
John Hawker	...	Covington
Deborah Rush	...	Dental assistant
Don Calfa	...	Neighbor

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Norway:12 (video rating) | Australia:M | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | West Germany:16 | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Argentina:18 | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:11 | Norway:16 (1980) | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | USA:R | Peru:18

Filming Locations:

All Saints' Episcopal Church - 504 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Geoffrey Productions

Trivia:

The song being played while Dudley Moore and Bo Derek are making love is Ravel's "Bolero". Bo Derek later starred in a movie called Bolero (1984).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When looking through the telescope the picture moves around as if being moved by George. But when it shows George looking through, his hands are behind his back as if he has made no attempt to move the telescope.

Quotes:

George: By what name are you known, sir?
Don: Donald. Don, to my friends and paying customers.
George: In that case, I'll have another double Don. Double Don, God, that's going to be difficult to say by the shank of the evening. Better make that one a single.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Something for Jenny

Thoughts About '10' - Then And Now

Boy, this was "hot stuff" back when it came out in 1979: I am referring to both the movie AND Bo Derek!

Actually, Dudley Moore was a box-office star, too. Nobody had heard of Derek before this, but this film certainly made her an overnight sensation. She didn't have to say anything in the film, just walk down a beach. Certainly, the number "10" now had a new meaning in the culture.

Basically, the film is about a guy who spots Derek, and then totally makes a fool of himself over her. Most guys would have done the same thing. Moore, making an idiot of himself as "George Webber," provided a lot of laughs and Bo had to just....well....just let herself be photographed. Fortunately, in real life, she turned out to be far more than just some hot- looking bimbo. I've heard her on several talk shows in recent years, and she's no dummy.....and still looks tremendous. Meanwhile, Moore, who had some tough physical ailments, really didn't have a noteworthy career after this film with one exception: Arthur (1981). The poor man died in 2002.

One forgets that a huge big-name actress co-starred with Moore in this movie: Julie Andrews. Perhaps a good part of that reason we forget that is she doesn't play a memorable character. It fact, she's downright unappealing as Moore's girlfriend "Samantha Taylor."

It's also easy to forget about some of the cultural issues songwriter "Webber" dealt with, bemoaning the shallowness of the current generation and its music tastes, and finally realizing his own shallowness won't lead to happiness just by being with a woman half his age. There are some profound things to ponder in this film even though it often concentrates on the slapstick humor angle. As a guy who has gone through the usual "mid- life" crisis, I would to sympathize with Webber's dilemmas but since this idiot is drunk half the time and an extremely self-indulgent person, I found it hard to "root" for him. Drunks have never been funny to me. So, when I watched this film on VHS 15 years later, it wasn't as fun as the fist time.

Speaking of drinks, Brian Dennehy was excellent as a bartender. I wish he had played more "nice guy" roles like this during his career, instead of so many evil and profane villains.

Along with millions of others, I enjoyed the movie 30 years ago, but now it's kind of sad, too slow and even painful to watch at times. For those of us who saw in the theater, the film now appears somewhat dated, but so are all of us, I guess, are dated, too.