Review of The Ten (2007) by Benjamin F — 21 Mar 2009

Essentially a collection of interconnected sketches at its core. Your enjoyment of The Ten largely hinges on your appreciation of absurdist humor and in particular the brand of frequently-crude absurdist humor practiced by The State/Stella guys. If you're easily offended and tend to be more into mainstream comedy, this may not be for you - especially so if you're a subscriber to Christianity and sensitive about your religion.

All that said, it's a mixed bag overall, but one that can undoubtedly appreciate upon multiple viewings, with a lot of great little quiet jokes amidst the big ones. Like with these guys' previous films, it pays to really pay attention to every joke told, and The Ten is packed.

Some sketches are better than others, but they maintain a pretty good balance overall, and I'd imagine some of the weaker ones would certainly benefit from multiple viewings.

The film's got a great cast with a tremendous amount of comic chemistry - I was pleasantly surprised by Famke Janssen, Jessica Alba, and Winona Ryder.

Overall, again, your enjoyment of the film hinges on your sense of humor and general taste in comedy. Having read the latest reviews here on the Facebook Flixster page and its reception on the IMDB, there's a lot of people who just can't get into this kind of comedy. But if you can, you'll have a blast with The Ten. So in short, it's recommended, but suggested that you exercise caution, since personal enjoyment levels are certainly variable. Personally, I was grinning the whole time and laughed more than I usually do at most movies.