10 (1979)
George Webber (Moore) is a successful, famous music writer and pianist, just turning 42, in a relationship with an adoring woman, Samantha (Andrews), living in a fantastic house, and all the amenities that come from making it big. Yet, he has hit a wall of sorts – a mid-life crisis that has him seeking a fling with a younger woman. Not just any woman, but a gorgeous blonde (Derek) that he sees once on the way to her wedding. He follows her, and becomes infatuated, even visiting her father, the dentist, in order to find out she is honeymooning in Mexico. George packs his bags and heads down south, checks into the same hotel just so he can spy on the woman of his fantasies, thinking maybe, just maybe, he can get lucky.
10 would begin the new sophisticated phase for writer/director Blake Edwards, which would see him making sexier farces that have an undercurrent of sophistication about them. That’s not to say his sense of humor had changed, as there are plenty of physical gags throughout. However, as his humor did age along with him, but unlike many other comedians, he still had his finger on the pulse of what’s funny in this part of his career. He also is blessed with a very good cast, with Dudley Moore in a familiar role as a drunk, unlucky in love, but effervescently charming.
As far as a woman to fit the bill of a “10”, he does actually find one in the stunning Bo Derek. Her acting skills don’t match up to her beauty, but her role is limited in dialogue here, and given the nature of her lines, she definitely fits her character to a tee. At its core, the film is a fantasy about what it might be like if a man were to really ditch that woman of substance to be with the young beauty half her age, and while the results are predictable to a degree, the manner in which the events unfold is funny and just a tinge sad at the same time.
10 is a refreshing and poignant comedy that has aged well, which is apropos to the subject matter expressed within. It’s an adult comedy aimed squarely at the juvenile side of us, with lots of nudity and sexual situations, but still playing light and loose with the times.
Qwipster’s rating: A-
MPAA Rated: R for nudity, language, drug use, and sexual situations
Running Time: 122 min.
Cast: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Dee Wallace, Sam Jones, Brian Dennehy, Annette Martin (Annette Haven)
Director: Blake Edwards
Screenplay: Blake Edwards