The Ten

To the people sitting behind us at the movies last night: Just because you think a movie is stupid doesn't mean you should sit there and talk through it. Get up and leave. The theater was empty, you could have moved to seats other than the ones right behind us and talked to your hearts' content if you really wanted to. Or was our continuous laughter interrupting your misery, so you had to interrupt our enjoyment? Every 5 minutes it was "This is stupid," "What a waste of money," "Again with the slapping," or loud sighs and yawns.

Mike thinks they stuck it out just so they could study us and try to figure out what was so funny about it. They were older, like my parents age or older, and I hate to play the "generational thing" card, but they just didn't get it. I wanted to turn around and say something to them but was afraid I'd miss some subtly hilarious joke in the 10 seconds it might take me to do that.

The movie was The Ten, and as fans of The State, we found it hilarious, like watching the long-lost episodes that they never could have shown on tv. But if you've never heard of Ken Marino, David Wain, The State, or Stella, you may want to familiarize yourself if you think of a $9.50 movie ticket as an investment in happiness. If you don't care about expensive movie ticket prices then by all means, jump right in and see if you like it. (Other movies by these folks include Wet Hot American Summer, Diggers, and The Baxter. Each movie is different though, so they really can't be compared. Just giving examples to see if you've heard of them.)

Ten short stories, each one based on a commandment. The stories and characters intertwine, so the lawyer that gets disbarred in Story #3 and is given the suggestion of getting a new job as a tour guide at the nuclear power plant, shows up as that tour guide in a later story. (But the intertwinings aren't as complicated as, say, Pulp Fiction.) All-star cast with some great cameos. They get Winona Ryder to be the central character of the stealing story, which is pretty funny, but unfortunately one of the funniest parts of that story. Overall, some very clever humor surrounded by a lof of silliness. If you like religious satire, then Story #2 is especially for you.

Proceed with caution. I would love for this movie to reach a new audience for these writers and actors because they work hard and are earning their laughs, but they're really not known for mainstream likeability. They've found a niche and are very good at entertaining that niche. Do the fans a favor and if you see this in the theater and hate it, try not to talk through it too much.