`TEN BENNY' TIED UP IN MOBSTER CLICHES.Byline: Stephen Holden The New York Times The unfortunate title of Eric Bross' first feature film, ``Ten Benny,'' is a slang term for the alleged shoe size of Paul Newman. Oh, don't ask why. It's not worth getting into, other than to note that the movie's leading character, Ray (Adrien Brody), is miserable in his dead-end job working in a shoe store in Bloomfield, N.J. The only son of a petty mobster who a decade earlier spent a year in jail after being caught operating an illegal casino out of his suburban basement, Ray lives at home with his father, Ray Sr. (Frank Vincent), who now ekes out a living running a home-repair business. Hotheaded hot·head·ed adj. 1. Easily angered; quick-tempered: a hotheaded commander. 2. Impetuous; rash: a hotheaded decision. and foulmouthed foulmouthed adj. Using abusive or obscene language. , Ray is forever squabbling with Joanne (Sybil Temchen), his girlfriend of three years, who works as a waitress while waiting for Ray to propose marriage. ``Ten Benny,'' which is narrated by Ray's best friend, Mike (Michael Gallagher), is the story of Ray's last-minute attempt to score enough money gambling at the racetrack to set himself up in business. The moment he borrows $10,000 from a menacing mobster, Donny (James E. Moriarty), Ray begins a humiliating and utterly predictable downward spiral that finds him taking increasingly desperate measures to pay back the money, which he loses in a colossally misplaced mis·place tr.v. mis·placed, mis·plac·ing, mis·plac·es 1. a. To put into a wrong place: misplace punctuation in a sentence. b. bet. Before he hits bottom, Ray has been beaten up more than once and betrayed by his best friend. He mopes mope intr.v. moped, mop·ing, mopes 1. a. To be gloomy or dejected. b. To brood or sulk. See Synonyms at brood. 2. To move in a leisurely or aimless manner; dawdle. n. through much of the last third of the movie sporting a black eye. If the movie succeeds in feeling real, the reality it portrays seems stale and rehashed. None of the issues it explores - father-son conflict, the testing of friendship, working-class machismo - is examined more than superficially. ``Ten Benny'' has one notable asset in Brody, a gifted performer who bears an astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. physical resemblance to the equally talented French actor Gregoire Colin. Brody doesn't stint on nastiness. His wiry, gimlet-eyed Ray is a thoroughly disagreeable package of puffed-up self-delusion programmed for puncture. At the slightest hint of frustration, the character goes ballistic, becoming so disgustingly abusive to his girlfriend that you can hardly wait for him to get his comeuppance come·up·pance n. A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one's just deserts: "It's a chance to strike back at the critical brotherhood and give each his comeuppance for evaluative sins of the past" . THE FACTS The film: ``Ten Benny'' (R; includes violence, abundant profanity Irreverence towards sacred things; particularly, an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God. Vulgar, irreverent, or coarse language. The use of certain profane or obscene language on the radio or television is a federal offense, but in other situations, profanity and one sex scene). The stars: Adrien Brody, Michael Gallagher, Tony Gillan, Sybil Temchen, Lisa Roberts, James E. Moriarty and Frank Vincent. Behind the scenes: Directed by Eric Bross. Written by Tom Cudworth and Bross. Produced by H.M. Coakley and Bross. Released by Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). Pictures. Running time: One hour, 38 minutes. Playing: Laemmle's Music Hall in Beverly Hills. Our rating: Two stars. |
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