10 Items or Less (2006)

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writer (WGA):

Brad Silberling (written by)

Release Date:

1 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

You Are Who You Meet

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Cashier | Los Angeles | Shop | Friendship | Shopping

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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	...	Low-riding Gang Banger
Bobby Cannavale	...	Bobby
Leonardo Nam	...	Kid at Target

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

82 min | Canada:82 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Reveal Entertainment

Trivia:

At a press appearance before a screening at The Paramount Thearer in Charlottesville, Virginia, to WMRA radio's Terry Ward, Morgan Freeman said that this film fit right in with his own personal hope to shed his image as someone usually so heavy with gravitas.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Him: Hey, Big D. How you like the ride?
Big D: [tips his coffee cup towards Morgan Freeman]
Him: Race you to the next light!
Him: ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!
Big D: [tips his coffee cup towards Morgan Freeman again - as they speed away]
Rhea Pearlman: I'm calling his wife.
Big D: No you're not!

Movie Connections:

References Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)

Soundtrack:

Las Isabeles

A bit too light in both subject and quantity

Reviewed at the Sept 12, 2006 2nd screening at the Paramount 1 theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival. The film had World Premiered the day before at the Elgin Theatre VISA Screening Room.

The basic plot involves Morgan Freeman playing a one time popular actor who is on the downward slope of his career and who is taking on roles that may be beneath him, but which he still does with a positive attitude knowing that he needs to pay the rent etc. The downward slope is indicated by his being a long time between roles with previous flicks in bargain DVD bins and his being chauffeured by a not too sure of himself production assistant who drops Freeman off at a local community market where he is going to do research for a role as supermarket manager. He soon discovers the real-life market is run by a iron-willed "10 Items or Less" checkout line clerk played by Paz Vega. When Freeman's ride never returns and Vega needs help in prepping for an interview the circumstances cause them to join forces in a ride across town to get Freeman back home and to get Vega a job that'll get her on a more upwardly mobile career path.

While the film was enjoyable, it felt like it was still a sketch or a work in progress. There were two extended musical sequences (One with Vega & Freeman teaching each other children's songs in the car, one that literally plays like a Paul Simon music video) that felt like padding to bring up the time and even then the film was only about 80 minutes long.

It's a good thing Morgan Freeman is as well liked as he is because without him this would have been too little. Sure it was funny in parts and Paz Vega is a delight as well, but there was just not enough here to say it was a complete film.

They lost me when Morgan Freeman started talking about stopping the car to ask for directions and Paz Vega said she never does that. Who ever heard of a guy wanting to ask for directions and the woman saying no!? In the real world it's the exact opposite.

Make sure you stay for the outtakes in the credits. The bit with a Target Store saleslady teaching Morgan Freeman how to hustle sales is just hilarious! An early bit where Freeman's chauffeur insists it is Freeman's voice on a "Books on Tape" reading was also pretty funny.

The director/writer Brad Silberling and actress Paz Vega were there for a brief Q&A after the screening. Silberling answered one question saying that the script was not written specifically for Morgan Freeman and that once Freeman took the role he actually changed very little of what was there. Quite a compliment for both Silberling's writing and also about how Freeman can just slip into a role and make it feel entirely like he was born to play it.