Nothing to Lose

this film draws a total blank in my mind. i don't know whether to call it good or bad...it just seems to be there. the characters seem to run together, and unless you pay special attention, you'll mix them up very easily. there's not enough nuance to bring any of the characters out into the spotlight.

and although the new jersey cliche is muted much more than the stereotypical presentation in "Jersey Girl", it is still evidently what we would portray new jersey's finest as. do people really act like that in jersey? hopefully not. maybe they do, and if so, i ain't going there.

adrien brody's performance wasn't the best, despite his ability to be a great actor. i kept on watching the movie, although it didn't really interest me too much. it's one of those mystical "C" caliber movies that you just sit through as some rite of passage into independent film land.

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?

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.)

Having titled this comment as I did, I have to say that I liked this flick even if I've seen it many, many times before. I'm not crazy about it, just happy it didn't stink. First films should be supported to encourage new talent and Adrien Brody turned in a good -- but not brilliant -- performance. This film -- about a bunch of guys growing up in a small town -- has been done much, much better by Fellini and Levinson to name two. Even so, it seems new directors feel the need to plumb this material again and again. As a result, not a lot can really be expected. "Judy Berlin," another indie film, is also in this genre. "Ten Benny" or "Nothing to Lose" plows already overturned ground but makes a credible case for itself. That's about -- if you can excuse the pun -- the size of it.

William www.williamahearn.com