Directed by: Blake Edwards
Starring: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Brian Dennehy, Dee Wallace, Don Calfa, Sam J. Jones
George Webber (Moore) has a life most would envy. He is a four-time Oscar winning songwriter, rich, famous, and lives comfortably in the Hollywood Hills. Yet, he is bored and can't seem to find his happy. His girlfriend Sam (Andrews) doesn't seem to be the answer. Then one day, he is driving around and pulls up next to a limo with a vision inside of it. He sees a beautiful young woman wearing a wedding dress and he is smitten. Maybe not smitten, but definitely obsessed. She is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Can she be the one to lift him out of the doldrums?
Blake Edwards' 10 is a comedy about mid-life angst and the pursuit of perfection. George follows the limo to the church and, after being stung by a bee, finds out she is Jenny Miles (Derek). After some more detective work, including meeting with the priest that performed the service, he finds out she is on her way to Mexico on her honeymoon. He is compelled by an unquenchable desire to find her. What would he do with her when he finds her? I suppose lustfully gaze at her some more. He fantasizes (in the iconic scene well known even to those who haven't seen the movie) that he and Jenny will run towards each other through the surf and into each other's arms.
10 is most famous for presenting Bo Derek to the world. She became an iconic figure for a time, although these days she is more well known for being that girl in 10. But 10 is much more than an observation of her beautiful physique. It is a comedy which understands obsession and the pursuit of happiness, no matter how out of reach it may seem. George has everything, but finds it isn't the everything he really wants. Pursuing Jenny gives him purpose in life again. Poor Sam is left sitting idly waiting for George to come to his senses, although she has no real idea of the depths of George's desires.
Dudley Moore is just the right choice for this material. He is likable and funny. He looks rather pathetic walking on the hot Mexican beach in his gray sweat suit. Did he ever hear of swim trunks? Just like many characters in Blake Edwards comedies, he may be one drink shy of becoming a full-fledged alcoholic. There is a sequence in 10 in which he saves Jenny's husband's life and is able to take her to dinner while he recuperates in the hospital. He ts to meet his vision in the flesh. The one knock I have against 10 is how this subplot plays out. He actually gets her into bed and does the rumpy-pumpy to Ravel's Bolero, but then expresses disappointment that she is not as perfect as he envisioned her. This is forced and unconvincing, as if he had to find a reason to dump Jenny and return to Sam. Would he honestly kick her out of bed so fast? Would anyone reading this review?
Despite that, 10 is one of Edwards best films. He directed the Pink Panther series, which were exercises in high energy slapstick. But films like 10, Skin Deep, and Micki & Maude were wonderful looks into human nature. These were about people who desperately wanted to be happy, but didn't know how to go about getting there. I'm not just talking about the male leads, but this applies to Sam and Jenny to an extent as well.
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