10 Items or Less

I just watched this movie last night with Courtney and Pam. Most people would probably label it as an overly minimalist movie with lofty intentions. Not to mention utterly impossible.

But I personally thought it was clever without being pretentious and sweet without being saccharine.

Basic premise: Morgan Freeman plays himself as a washed up actor who hasn't had work for years. He gets a ride to the Latino side of L.A. and winds up on some busted supermarket where one cashier is banging the manager that never comes to work, and the stand-in manager is a loopy old Latino man who moves at snail's pace. Anyway, he meets Scarlet (Paz Vega), who is this snarky, restless cashier in the 10 items express lane and they strike up a friendship. It all unfolds from there. I'll tell you now, the movie ain't plot heavy. It's one of those movies that wouldn't be any good unless some high-profile Hollywood actor were behind it. And who's got more clout than Morgan Freeman?

Anyway, it's wonderfully quirky and I recommend it. Paz Vega and Morgan Freeman have really fun, unexpected chemistry. I tend to be pretty optimistic about most things...food, music, movies, etc. But I think if you're in a philosophical mood and a little down on your present state of affairs, this movie's a good up-lifter. It'll at least make you chuckle.

Cool trivia: It was shot in 15 days. Talk about minimalist!