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Commandments

  • 1997
  • R
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Courteney Cox, Anthony LaPaglia, and Aidan Quinn in Commandments (1997)
Home Video Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:47
1 Video
14 Photos
Dark ComedyComedyDramaRomance

His wife dies, his house destroyed, gets fired and his dog struck by lightning, when he shouts "Why?" at God. He decides to break all ten commandments. He moves in with his sister-in-law and... Read allHis wife dies, his house destroyed, gets fired and his dog struck by lightning, when he shouts "Why?" at God. He decides to break all ten commandments. He moves in with his sister-in-law and cheating reporter husband.His wife dies, his house destroyed, gets fired and his dog struck by lightning, when he shouts "Why?" at God. He decides to break all ten commandments. He moves in with his sister-in-law and cheating reporter husband.

  • Director
    • Daniel Taplitz
  • Writer
    • Daniel Taplitz
  • Stars
    • Aidan Quinn
    • Courteney Cox
    • Anthony LaPaglia
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Daniel Taplitz
    • Writer
      • Daniel Taplitz
    • Stars
      • Aidan Quinn
      • Courteney Cox
      • Anthony LaPaglia
    • 22User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    Commandments
    Trailer 1:47
    Commandments

    Photos14

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    Top cast26

    Edit
    Aidan Quinn
    Aidan Quinn
    • Seth Warner
    Courteney Cox
    Courteney Cox
    • Rachel Luce
    Anthony LaPaglia
    Anthony LaPaglia
    • Harry Luce
    Shirl Bernheim
    • Sylvia Andrew
    Peter Jacobson
    Peter Jacobson
    • Banker
    Patrick Garner
    Patrick Garner
    • Banker
    Marcia DeBonis
    Marcia DeBonis
    • Receptionist
    Pamela Gray
    Pamela Gray
    • Melissa Murphy
    Lisa Louise Langford
    • Paramedic
    Chris McGinn
    Chris McGinn
    • Nurse
    Louis Zorich
    Louis Zorich
    • Rudy Warner
    Scott Sowers
    • Detective Malhoney
    Pat McNamara
    Pat McNamara
    • Police Chief Warren
    Jack Gilpin
    Jack Gilpin
    • Gordon Bloom
    Amy Sedaris
    Amy Sedaris
    • Scholar
    Stephen Pearlman
    Stephen Pearlman
    • Rabbi
    Frank Girardeau
    • Frank, the Bartender
    Tom Aldredge
    Tom Aldredge
    • Mr. Mann
    • Director
      • Daniel Taplitz
    • Writer
      • Daniel Taplitz
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    5.51.7K
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    Featured reviews

    6gridoon

    Disappointing.

    The idea (a man thinks he has been targeted for suffering by God, so he decides to get his revenge by breaking the Ten Commandments one by one) is intriguing. It's so intriguing, in fact, that this was one of the very rare instances where I happened to rent a film without having heard a single thing about it beforehand, based solely on the plot synopsis on the video cover instead. Unfortunately the film turned out to be a messy talkathon. It is certainly offbeat and beautifully photographed, but it seems to lack a clear sense of direction, of where it is going and what point it is trying to make, and the characters are not sufficiently developed. The writer-director of this film poses thought-provoking, eternal theological questions ("If God is able but unwilling to prevent evil, isn't it logical to assume He is malevolent?"), but perhaps lacks the courage to follow his premise through to the end. (**)
    6Hey_Sweden

    Why do bad things happen to good people?

    Aidan Quinn ("Legends of the Fall") stars as Seth Warner, who recently has suffered one major setback after another: the tragic disappearance of his wife, the destruction of his house, and the loss of his job. And, for good measure, his dog is crippled by a bolt of lightning. Assuming that God himself has it in for him, Seth determines to get even by breaking all 10 of the Commandments.

    Written & directed by Daniel Taplitz ("Breakin' All the Rules"), this dark comedy-drama is savvy enough to ask some pertinent theological questions, and has some good moments, but for this viewer, it didn't come off as well as I would have liked. Part of it is that I would have liked to see it get even darker, and go into more detail as the unhinged Seth broke those Commandments. Instead, it gets sappy & romantic as Seth falls in love with his neglected sister-in-law Rachel Luce (Courteney Cox, the "Scream" series), whom he initially just wanted to use re: the "thou shalt not covet thy neighbors' wife" Commandment.

    The film has an effective offbeat quality, but Taplitz just doesn't follow through that interestingly on a grabber of a premise. It's too bad, because he does get solid performances out of his cast, with Anthony LaPaglia ('Without a Trace') rounding out the star trio as Rachels' slimy husband Harry, an investigative journalist. The character is amusingly scummy, and LaPaglia pretty much steals the show.

    While such a film may initially bother some who are religious, it ultimately has enough going on that it could provoke some pertinent discussions afterwards.

    Six out of 10.
    8helpless_dancer

    very black, dramatic comedy

    Fine film about a man who lost his wife, and as a result begins to question the motives of God. He has all these emotional problems while his arrogant brother-in-law is doing fine while totally ignoring any religious commitments; which the brother-in-law makes his relative very aware of. However, in the end things do not remain the same for arrogant in-law. Nor for the man who lost his wife. This film may bother some Christians at first, but in the end I think this film will be accepted as giving a positive message about theology. The ending was surprising and gratifying.
    IAmAnnoyed

    I COMMAND you to see this movie (if you haven't already)

    This movie is really good. However, be warned, you will probably not like it if you are extremely religious, as it is about a man who tries to break all ten commandments. You will probably also like it better if you're a fan of one of the actors in it, as the plot is very strange and different, as well as dark. It has mostly romance and drama but also some comedy. The only part I really didn't like about this movie was the extremely unrealistic ending. However, that kind of added a sort of irony to the movie, and dry humor. So, in a nutshell, you should see this movie because it's good. Oh, and there's a dog in it too.
    5Rammstein-2

    Starts out great but looses it

    This film was pretty good, but could have been a lot better. It starts out great with impressive flashbacks, dialogue and scenery, flattens out into an almost boring retelling of the world's oldest and most used theme: good against evil, and then suddenly lifts itself up again in the last minute with a bizarre, biblical ending that I for one have never ever seen on film before. Parts of the film are very well written indeed, the black humor is great and the characters are actually fairly human and believable. But in the long run, the film ends up just confusing and a bit unsatisfactory.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is the last movie featuring the 1991 Universal logo & MCA/Universal Home Video logo.
    • Goofs
      When Rachel talks with Seth about her being betrayed by Harry, her haircut changes - in one she has some hair on her forehead, in the next take she doesn't, and then she does again.
    • Quotes

      Rudy: Who among us knows the way of the Lord?

      Seth: I have a theory. He's a raving psychotic.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Breakdown/Warriors of Virtue/Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery/Truth or Consequences/Commandments (1997)
    • Soundtracks
      After Dark
      Written by Tito Larriva and Steven Hufsteter

      Performed by Tito Larriva (as Tito) and Tarantula

      Produced by Tito Larriva, Robert Rodriguez and Mark Goldenberg

      Mixed by Joel Soyfter

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Commandments?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 2, 1997 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • De tio budorden
    • Filming locations
      • Montauk, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Northern Lights Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $548,561
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $312,437
      • May 4, 1997
    • Gross worldwide
      • $548,561
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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