The Ten - C+

Just released on DVD, 96 minutes, rated R

Not really a movie but a collection of skits in the same vein as Kentucky Fried Movie or Amazon Women on the Moon. Except the 10 stories here are based (frequently very loosely) on the 10 Commandments. It’s kind of like Krzysztof Kieslowski’s The Dekalog reduced for the celebrity upskirt generation. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if the skits are funny enough and hit their satirical marks. As you might expect, the results range from embarrassing to quite funny. (Click below for the rest)

The interlocking stories are all introduced in one way or another by Paul Rudd, standing in front of 2 stone tablets. He also turns up in the adultery sketch, a brief ripoff of the late 80s- early 90s Woody Allen style. It’s surprising how many actors are willing to send up their image. The overly serious Liev Schreiber is funny as a cop and a man obsessed with CT scanners in 2 different stories. Former “it” girl Gretchen Mol is great in 2 sketches, but Jessica Alba annoys. Given her off-screen troubles, the casting of Winona Ryder in the “Thou Shalt Not Steal” segment is the most inspired casting choice in recent years. She’s very funny – and remains a pretty terrific actress. But as long as she’s banging a ventriloquist dummy instead of not banging Daniel Day-Lewis, she’ll probably never receive her third Oscar nomination.

My favorite sketch was “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Wife” where a prisoner (co-writer Ken Marino) who’s already someone else’s bitch is lusted after by another inmate (Rob Corddry). Best line (by Corddry – in a deadpan delivery): “I can’t look at you without fantasizing about shoving you up against a wall in the laundry room, punching you in the mouth, and then raping you – without your consent, of course.” It’s impossible to succinctly describe each individual skit, but each is well-paced and goes places you’d never expect. Close to B range, but not nearly enough satirical bite, way too much homophilia, and a terrible end credits song make it difficult to recommend. C+

Note: If you don't mind reading subtitles, Kieslowski's 10 hour The Dekalog (made for Polish TV in the late 1980s in 10 segments) is a satisfying dramatic meditation on the 10 commandments.