Nothing to Lose

"Ten Benny" is a slice of life flick about some young working class Italian-American men in New Jersey who are desperately trying to merge life styles with dreams. Brody, who went on to better forums for his talent, is at the center of this less than engaging and somewhat clumsy melding of melodrama and reality from first time director Bross and a small army of producers. An okay C- small screen watch for those with a taste for guy dramas though don't expect much action, sex, nudity or common sense.

A story you might have already heard is shot in the chest with a flash of something new and electric. That something is named Adrien Brody. After having seen his work in "The Thin Red Line" and particularly "Summer of Sam", it became a point to check for his name in conjunction with any new film being released. I had not been disappointed by any of his work when I first saw the film, and "Ten Benny" was no exception. Not the most original story, but definitely worth watching if for no other reason than Brody's fabulous turn as Ray, an addicted gambler who struggles with life, love, friends and finances. **** for Brody. *** Overall.

This kitchen sink drama directed and co-written by Eric Bross of RESTAURANT fame follows a group of boyhood pals from suburban New Jersey -- chiefly charismatic Adrien Brody as Ray, a young shoe salesman (the original title, TEN BENNY, is shoe store slang for size 10B, supposedly the size one time customer Paul Newman wears) whose overestimation of his own sharpness leads to gambling debts, p***ed-off loan sharks, and overall misery. The film is as realistic as it is glum and predictable. I felt like I was watching a documentary about younger contemporary versions of my gambler/bookie dad and his goombah pals. I knew the film was striking a chord when, despite Brody's cocky charm and good looks therein, I spent much of the film smirking, shaking my head, and muttering, `Dumbass!' every time Ray made another bad judgment call or generally acted like a jerk. Still, despite its better moments, this story is nothing that folks like Martin Scorsese haven't done earlier and more powerfully. NOTHING TO LOSE (not to be confused with the 1997 Tim Robbins/Martin Lawrence flick) is worth a look primarily if you're a Brody fan and/or an aficionado of Italian-American angst, and you happen to stumble across this one on cable. (I find it interesting, though, that writer/director Bross went on to direct ON THE LINE with those two N'Sync guys.)

This film is another boring, so-called coming-of-age story.

If I have seen these characters once, I have see them 100 times.

This film and those like it have little relevance or appeal to anyone who recognizes ethnic stereotypes and unoriginal writing.

Sybil Temchen is the only bright spot. Sadly, she'll probably end up in the same club as Adrienne Shelly (good actress performs well in indies, goes on to perform well in a few bad mainstream films and then disappears into films no one who is asleep at 3 a.m. ever sees).

Maybe Temchen will get lucky with a good cable-TV series (that's what rescued Edie Falco from Shelly's fate).

Cross your fingers (and your toes) for her.

This very underrated film was my first experience with the astoundingly talented Adrien Brody, and though the story is dark and unsettling, his performance makes up for a myriad of faults. The character of Ray is hard to like, but Brody makes him so human and recognizable he pulls you in and gets you rooting for him anyway. What is amazing is that he was all of 22 when he made this film. Do we have a new James Dean?