10 Items or Less

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

An aging Hollywood icon whose fear of failure has caused his once-luminous star to smoulder strikes up an unlikely friendship with an acid-tongued checkout clerk while researching his latest role in City of Angels and Moonlight Mile director Brad Silberling's intimate drama. Crippled by his own all-consuming fears, the man who was once Hollywood's hottest icon (Morgan Freeman) is forced to consider a role in a low-budget independent after a series of more lucrative prospects wither away on the vine. When his driver abandons him during a trip to Carson to research his upcoming role, the onetime showbiz supernova strikes up a lively conversation with Scarlet (Paz Vega), an outspoken check-out girl at a Latino community market. Now, stuck on his own, far from Brentwood, the actor must rely upon the kindness of a common stranger to help him get back on his feet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • Making-of documentary
  • Director, Brad Silberling commentary
  • Deleted scenes
  • Q & A with cast & director
  • Surprise bonus material
  • 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
  • Previews
  • Spanish subtitles
  • Closed caption

AWARDS

• Toronto International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2006

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Morgan Freeman - Him
       Paz Vega - Scarlet
       Bobby Cannavale - Bobby
       Anne Dudek - Lorraine
       Jennifer Echols
       Jonah Hill
       Leonardo Nam
       Kumar Pallana
       Jim Parsons
       Danny DeVito
       Rhea Perlman

• Director:

  Brad Silberling

• Producer:

  Brad Silberling, Julie Lynn, Lori McCreary

• Screenwriter:

  Brad Silberling

• Cinematographer:

  Phedon Papamichael

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Dawn Solér

• Composer (Music Score):

  Antonio Pinto

• Editor:

  Michael Kahn

• Production Designer:

  Denise Pizzini

• Co-producer:

  Kelly Thomas

• Executive Producer:

  Morgan Freeman

• Costume Designer:

  Isis Mussenden

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Robert Anderson, Richard King

• First Assistant Director:

  Michele Panelli-Venetis

• Casting:

  Avy Kaufman

• Supervising Sound Editor:

  Richard King

REVIEW:

• Exchange the nocturnal melancholy of Tokyo for sunny East Los Angeles, then swap Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson for Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega, and you've got 10 Items or Less, Brad Silberling's own version of Lost in Translation, albeit with a lot more whimsy. Like Murray before him, Freeman plays a famous actor who meets a young woman at a crucial moment of self-doubt for both; each provides the other the perspective to better understand themselves, implicitly understanding the fleeting nature of their time together rather than trying to consummate any potential attraction. Silberling's influences may be obvious, but that doesn't mean the writer-director hasn't fashioned himself a nice little movie here. He's actually taken the logic of Lost in Translation one step further -- while Murray and Johansson's characters were both white Americans, Freeman and Vega have barriers of language (English is her second) and ethnicity dividing them, in addition to the gap between their ages. Both are charming as they develop a definite chemistry, but Freeman deserves extra credit for seeming to peer inside his true self. His character is never named, but thinly veiled references to Freeman's real career choices make the comparison overt and intentional. There's one exception: his character in 10 Items or Less is eager to make a comeback, whereas the real Freeman was firmly at the top of his game while doing this low-budget favor for Silberling. And he's clearly enjoying this little indie diversion, looking utterly carefree while dancing to Latino pop at a car wash, singing Spanish nursery rhymes with Vega, and eating Arby's sandwiches by the Los Angeles River. It's a teasingly brief little effort, running just 70 minutes, followed by another ten of spirited outtakes over the closing credits. But the sentiments and moments are meaty enough to compensate. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi