10 Blu-ray offers decent video and audio, but overall it's a mediocre Blu-ray release
Forty year-old Oscar-winning screenwriter George attempts to combat a bout of mid-life crisis by pursuing the woman of his dreams, even though he first sees her as she is making the way to her own wedding. Tracking the object of his affections to her honeymoon destination in Mexico, George makes several bumbling attempts at seduction, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering girlfriend.
For more about 10 and the 10 Blu-ray release, see the 10 Blu-ray Review
Romantic comedies were here long before us and will still be here long after we're gone. Adam and Eve scrambled for fig leaves after sneaking a few bites of forbidden fruit. Plautus, Terence and other ancient rom-com poets left Greek and Roman audiences in stitches. Shakespeare certainly capitalized. Hollywood jumped on board the minute Charlie Chaplin bought a flower from a blind girl in City Lights. Woody Allen and other iconic filmmakers have built entire careers around shaky relationships, love triangles and marital woes. And it's really only a matter of time until two androids emerge as the Tracy and Hepburn of the 23rd Century. But just because audiences continue to line up doesn't mean every romantic comedy is created equal. Blake Edwards's 10, though popular in its day, isn't a timeless classic or a standout genre pic. It has its moments, I'll admit -- I even laughed a few times -- but the years haven't been kind.
Moore and Andrews have surprising chemistry on screen...
Poor George Webber (Dudley Moore, Arthur). Instead of enjoying his 42nd birthday or the rewards of a successful composer, he finds himself face to face with a vicious midlife crisis. His intellectual lover, singer Samantha Taylor (Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music), throws him a surprise birthday party, but it only deepens his depression. His openly gay friend and cohort Hugh (Robert Webber, 12 Angry Men) tries to cheer him up, but doesn't get very far. All seems lost until a chance encounter with a mysterious young bride-to-be named Jenny Miles (Bo Derek, Orca) leaves George feeling reborn. An obsession ensues; one that results in his and Sam's estrangement, stirs up a string of cringe-inducing romantic mishaps, and eventually leads George to stalk Jenny and her new husband (Sam Jones, Flash Gordon) locally and abroad. But George is in for a tough lesson in life, love and middle age... he just doesn't know it yet.
10 is at its best when George simply sits and speaks his mind, be it with Hugh, his therapist, Samantha or Jenny. Moore's patented rubber-kneed physical comedy and the horrors that befall his bumbling lothario are merely funny but flimsy filler, none of which is nearly as smart or quick-witted as his spirited defense of the word "broad," his distaste for middle age or his reflections on a shattered fantasy. Unfortunately, Edwards's more subdued moments only amount to twenty minutes of sophisticated comedy. The rest is all bee stings and dentist drills, Novocaine overload and spilled coffee , busy signals and awkward sexcapades. Edwards delves into voyeurism and self-delusion but only skims the surface; he delivers a trio of poignant third-act gut punches but rarely follows through. Before all is said and done, the writer/director tumbles into dramedy limbo, unsure of what, if anything, he really wants to say about about relationships, middle age and obsession. He bounds from comic beat to sudden sincerity and back again without enough concern for the tone and tenor of his romantic comedy.
Edwards's casting, though praised in 1979, doesn't make his waddle down 10's slippery aisle any easier. Moore is brilliant when he slows down long enough to take a breath, but his indulgent mugging and near-constant pratfalls wear out their welcome early on. I know, I know... that's his schtick. Honestly, had Edwards followed Moore's lead, I wouldn't have anything to complain about. But the ungainly balance the filmmaker strikes between Moore's physical comedy and the meat-n-potatoes of his screenplay is just that: ungainly. It doesn't help that Andrews seems as if she belongs in an entirely different film; a natural fit in some regards (Sam is confident, content and mature) but a serious problem when one begins to wonder what a level-headed feminist like Samantha would ever see in a self-absorbed manchild like George. Worse, Derek is listless and detached. At Edwards's insistence, no doubt -- it's imperative that Jenny be as intangible as George's fantasy -- but the line between nuanced portrayal and pedestrian performance all but disappears. I wouldn't be so quick to blame the actors though. Edwards slinks along with such purpose that I suspect any shortcomings should be attributed to him and him alone.
At its raunchiest, 10 is positively archaic. At its most intelligent, it's fairly amusing. At its most potent, it has little to say. At its most whimsical, a troubling disjointedness is revealed. To cut to the chase, there are far better romantic comedies, old and new, to choose from. If curiosity compels you, I'd suggest tossing this one at the bottom of your Netflix queue.
With a high-dollar restoration, 10 might have stood a chance. But let's be realistic: if Warner gave every catalog title the treatment it's able to afford its most indispensable classics, the studio's home video division would have to shut their doors and come up with a way to recoup some serious loses. As it stands, 10 doesn't look bad at all -- if nothing else, it handily bests its DVD counterpart -- it just hasn't weathered the test of time well enough to help Warner's admittedly competent 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer measure up to the studio's more meticulously restored catalog presentations. Colors are murky at times, skintones are occasionally oversaturated, depth and dimensionality are often lacking, black levels are sometimes dull and diluted, contrast is inconsistent, and crush is an issue. Detail is much improved though, even if hit-or-miss textures, less-than-exacting edge definition and some minor ringing hinder the already imperfect proceedings. Regardless, the encode is proficient. I didn't notice any significant blocking, banding or smearing and there isn't any aberrant noise to report. Sadly, unless 10 suddenly earns millions of passionate new fans, this is as good as it's likely to get.
Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track may not be much to listen to, but it an accurate representation of its single-channel source. Dialogue is fairly clear and intelligible despite the film's thirty-two years and... erm, dialogue is fairly clear and intelligible despite the film's thirty-two years. Little else stands out. Effects are thin and tinny, Henry Mancini's music tends to overwhelm the mix and the sound design shows its age (and then some). Even so, purists will be pleased and audiophiles with appropriate expectations won't complain. (Much.)
The Blu-ray edition of 10 only includes two special features: a short archive promo (SD, 4 minutes) and the film's original theatrical trailer (SD, 3 minutes). Nothing more, nothing less.
Let's be honest: Blu-ray release or no, 10 isn't about to experience any sort of resurgence. It's amusing but dated, mildly entertaining but largely inconsequential. Nostalgia notwithstanding, we aren't exactly dealing with a classic, are we? The film's high definition debut isn't going to win many diehard fans either. Its video presentation is problematic, its DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track isn't particularly notable and its supplemental package is nearly non-existent. Judge accordingly.
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