Taglines: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
10 movie storyline. On the night of his 42nd birthday, George Webber (Dudley Moore), a popular songwriter, begins showing symptoms of a “middle-age crisis”. Over the succeeding weeks, he finds himself continually staring at young girls on the street, and he begins envying his high-living neighbor, whose life is one endless orgy. George’s behavior causes great concern to his lover, singing star Samantha Taylor (Dame Julie Andrews), and to his partner Hugh (Robert Webber), who has seemingly avoided George’s dilemma by being gay.
While driving home one afternoon, George spots Jenny Hanley (Bo Derek), a stunning young beauty en route to her marriage ceremony. Regarding her as “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen” (on a scale from one to ten), George follows her to the church. He later learns her name, and discovers that she and her husband are honeymooning in Mexico.
Driven by the impulse to see her again, George flies to Mexico and checks into the hotel where Jenny is staying. Later, he sees the couple on the beach, and begins indulging in romantic fantasies about the lovely young girl. When he rescues her husband from drowning, a grateful Jenny invites George to her room.
10 is a 1979 American romantic comedy film written, produced, and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Robert Webber, and Bo Derek. It was considered a trend-setting film at the time and was one of the year’s biggest box-office hits. It follows a man in middle age who becomes infatuated with a young woman whom he has never met, leading to a comic chase and an encounter in Mexico.
About the Story
During a surprise 42nd birthday party for wealthy, well-known composer George Webber (Dudley Moore), thrown by his actress girlfriend Samantha Taylor (Julie Andrews), he finds he is coping badly with incipient middle age. From his car, George glimpses a bride-to-be (Bo Derek) and is instantly obsessed with her beauty, which he rates as “11” on a scale that goes up to 10. Following her to the church, he crashes into a police cruiser, is stung by a bee, and nearly disrupts the wedding ceremony.
George visits the priest, and learns the woman is Jenny Miles, daughter of a prominent Beverly Hills dentist. Later that night, Sam and George have an argument about George’s failure to give her the attention she needs, his use of the term “broad”, and the fact that he uses a telescope to watch a neighbor (a porn producer) perform carnal acts. The final straw for Sam occurs when George makes a remark subtly impugning her femininity, at which point Sam leaves in a huff.
The following day, George spies on his neighbor again, hits himself with the telescope, and falls down an embankment, causing him to miss Sam’s phone call. Still obsessed with the young bride, George schedules a dental appointment with Jenny’s father and learns that Jenny and her husband have gone to Mexico for their honeymoon. The examination reveals a mouthful of cavities, requiring fillings.
The after-effects of the novocaine, aggravated by his heavy drinking, leave George completely incoherent. Sam finally reaches him on the phone, but mistakes him for an intruder and calls the police, who hold George at gunpoint while trying to understand his gibberish. Unnerved by the day’s events, George visits his neighbor’s house to take part in an orgy. Sam arrives at George’s and spots him through his telescope, widening the rift between them.
While his songwriting partner Hugh (Robert Webber) consoles Sam and says she will need to decide how long to wait for George to grow up, George impulsively boards a plane and follows the newlyweds to their exclusive resort in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. In the bar, George becomes acquainted with a friendly bartender, plays the piano, and encounters an old acquaintance, Mary Lewis (Dee Wallace), who suffers from a lack of self-confidence because she blames herself for a series of failed relationships. When they attempt a fling, Mary interprets George’s inadequacy in bed as confirmation of her own insecurities.
At the beach, George sees Jenny―wearing a swimsuit with her hair braided in cornrows―and is awestruck again by her beauty. He notices that David (Sam J. Jones), her husband, has fallen asleep on his surfboard. George learns that beyond a certain point are powerful currents that can sweep a swimmer or surfer dangerously far from land.
He rents a catamaran, clumsily but successfully rescues David, and becomes a hero. Sam sees him on a TV newscast and tries to contact him, but George (unaware that it is Sam) refuses the call. David, badly sunburned, is hospitalized, allowing Jenny and George to spend time alone together. After dinner, in her room, Jenny smokes marijuana and then seduces George to the sounds of Maurice Ravel’s Boléro.
10 (1979)
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Starring: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Dee Wallace, Sam J. Jones, Brian Dennehy, Max Showalter, Nedra Volz, Virginia Kiser, Deborah Rush, John Hawker, Rad Daly
Screenplay by: Blake Edwards
Production Design by: Rodger Maus
Cinematography by: Frank Stanley
Film Editing by: Nalph E. Winters
Costume Design by: Patricia Edwards
Set Decoration by: Reg Allen, Jack Stephens
Music by: Henry Mancini
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: October 5, 1979
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