Mini-Reviews: "Elvis and Anabelle," "The Ten"

By Sarah Carlson
March 22, 2007

‘Elvis’ won’t have you all shook up
elvis.jpgWhen a teenage beauty queen collapses on the pageant stage from a heart attack, thanks to a bout with bulimia, you’re sad, but not surprised. But when she wakes up several days later on the embalming table, you’ll be as shocked as her mortician. “Elvis and Anabelle” is a sweet story of young love that falters in its second act and falls flat on its face in its finale.

But for the most part, you’ll enjoy watching Elvis (Max Minghella), the mortician’s son standing in for his old man on the job, interact with Anabelle (Blake Lively), the aforementioned beauty queen who, after coming back to life as a medical miracle and being hounded by the media, decides to hide out at the funeral home with Elvis. Minghella is the best thing going for the film, which should have either gone the dark route or had a touch of fantasy. Instead, it’s just nothing special. -- Sarah Carlson

A Decalogue of anecdotes
theten.jpgA sky-diver jumps from an airplane without a parachute, only to land half-embedded in the ground but still alive; a woman falls in love with a ventriloquist dummy; neighbors fight to see who can buy the most CAT Scan machines; and a man skips church every Sunday to stay at home and walk around naked. These are just some of the outrageous scenarios you’ll find in “The Ten,” a random yet often funny grouping of 10 vignettes, each based loosely around one of the Ten Commandments.

From the comedians who brought you the TV shows “The State” and “Stella” and the film “Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten” has its moments and gets better with each subsequent viewing. Jeff and Gretchen Reigert could be considered the main characters; Jeff narrates and introduces each vignette in between arguing with his wife. We soon see that the characters in the 10 stories are connected with the Reigerts and that, as the film’s director David Wain told me (half seriously), “It’s all about love.” "The Ten" Read my off-the-wall interview with Wain and actors Paul Rudd and Ken Marino and to get insight into the wacky sense of humor they have. -- Sarah Carlson

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