10 Items or Less (2006)

An actor (Freeman) prepping for an upcoming role meets a quirky grocery clerk (Vega), and the pair hit the road to show one another their respective worlds.

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writer:

Brad Silberling

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Paz Vega, Jonah Hill

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Morgan Freeman	...	Him
Paz Vega	...	Scarlet
Jonah Hill	...	Packy
Anne Dudek	...	Lorraine
Francisca Hernandez	...	Market Wife / Market Gossip #1
Nacho Pina	...	Market Husband
Hector Running-Hawk	...	Squeezing Customer
Alexis Hernandez	...	Cowed Customer
Silvia Curiel	...	Shocked Customer
Shawn Calizo	...	Scared Customer
Kumar Pallana	...	Lee
Rosa Diaz	...	Market Gossip #2
Hector Atreyu Ruiz	...	Gangbanger in Lowrider
Bobby Cannavale	...	Bobby
Leonardo Nam	...	Kid at Target

Storyline

A well-known actor, who hasn't accepted a role in four years, is considering a project. The cousin of the director drives him to Archie's Ranch Market, in Carson, and drops him off to do a little research. He's fascinated by one of the checkers, Scarlet, a young woman from Spain with a preternatural ability to ring up items at the cash register. She hates her job, stuck at the 10 items or less lane. The actor chats her up, and when her shift ends, he asks for a ride. In the course of the afternoon, he helps her prepare for a job interview. She needs to have confidence, he needs to commit. Human contact, however brief, can change people.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | interview | job interview | research | spanish | 

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Taglines:

You Are Who You Meet

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

January 2007 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Dame 10 razones

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$35,929 (USA) (1 December 2006)

Gross:

$81,416 (USA) (15 December 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reveal Entertainment, Revelations Entertainment, Mockingbird Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Morgan Freeman's character is referred to as having starred in a film with Ashley Judd. Freeman starred with Judd in Kiss the Girls and High Crimes.

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Goofs

In the opening scene Icee and coffee cups appear and disappear in the drink caddy.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Him: Sorry, what was your name again?
Packy: Packy.
Him: Packy?
Packy: Yeah.
Him: Are we lost, Packy?

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Crazy Credits

"and no gremlins were harmed."

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Connections

References Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

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Soundtracks

"Las Perlitas"
Written by Francisco Cardenas
Performed by Mariachi Aguila Real
Courtesy of Madacy Entertainment LP
Under license from Countdown Media

User Reviews

High Scores for Honesty and Simplicity in a Meaningful Dialogue

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