:arrow: Morgan Freeman stars in this indie about an unlikely IR friendship that develops between an actor and a grocery store clerk. 10 Items Or Less Director Brad Silberling is quite an artistic anomaly. He’s the man responsible for kiddie schlock such as Casper and the failure to launch franchise Lemony Snicket and yet amidst the hullabaloo and extravagant CGI fests, he occasionally stops to mold a quiet dramatic gem here and there. He did so in 2004 with the painfully overlooked mourning dramedy Moonlight Mile and does so once again with 10 Items Or Less, a charming little indie in the vein of Lost In Translation and Before Sunset that highlights talky interplay and takes subtle strides toward molding memorable scenes and lovable characters. The main story (a thin one indeed) is about an actor (Morgan Freeman) who is researching a potential role as a grocery store manager on location at a cheapo retail store where the aggressive clerk at the “10 items or less” line (Paz Vega) catches his eye. As with Translation, this is not an unsightly stab at paltry romance, it’s the story of a passionate friendship that bridges generational, cultural, and occupational gaps. Both the wealthy actor and the struggling checkout clerk have much to share with one another and their day spent together offers much in the way of underplayed drama and authentic cinema fiction. It’s also exquisitely enlivened by Freeman’s unexpected turn as the humorous and likable lead. As a talent most associated with stern supporting roles as world weary veterans of various kinds, Freeman has never (to my knowledge) been such a lovable fool as he is here. Paz Vega is also a pleasant surprise. She’s every bit the worldly spitfire here that she was supposed to be in Spanglish. It’s a performance of utter effervescence and quiet melancholy. The two of them could not be more enjoyable than they are in this film. There is an unfortunate amount of slow spots and some tediously low brow humor in the opening scenes, but once the film settles down and its characters loosen up, it becomes a completely funny and endearing journey that one hopes will never end.
