10 Items or Less (2006)

A small film that somehow restores your faith in life, in people, in, well,… everything

RELEASED IN 2006 and written & directed by Brad Silberling, “10 Items or Less” is a drama about an aged has-been actor (Morgan Freeman) who researches for an indie gig after a four-year dry spell. He meets a spitfire checkout clerk named Scarlet (Paz Vega) at a supermarket in a Latino community of Los Angeles. Impressed by the young woman, he decides to help her while psyching-up for the role.

The plot is obviously borrowed from 2003’s “Lost in Translation.” To key you off, the girl is named after Scarlett Johansson. But don’t let that keep you from seeing this minor gem because the characters are very different, plus other nuances. For instance, Morgan’s character (simply called “Him” in the cast list) reflects the “joy of living” (joie de vivre) as opposed to Bill Murray’s amusing curmudgeon in “Lost in Translation.”

Moreover, “10 Items” is less melancholy; and the girl isn’t naïve and overly sweet like Charlotte (Johansson) in “Lost.” It’s a small film, with the end credits rolling a mere ten minutes after the hour mark, and so it lacks the depth of “Lost” and isn’t as moving (at least as far as pulling your romantic heartstrings), but it’s more heartwarming and overall inspiring.

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 21 minutes and was shot in Brentwood, Los Angeles, and nearby Carson (to the south).

GRADE: A-