10 Years (2011)
"I love your obsessions;"
A friend uttered to me as we pounded the streets of London exploring the inner streets of the city on a mild January day.
"You just really passionately go for something"
Said another as I was sandwiched between the pair, pleasantly surprised that they weren't condemning me for putting them through yet another celebrity/actor crush. You know like the Cumberbatch and the McAvoy (though the latter will always be, in my mind, the greatest actor of our generation and no amount of swaggering Latino can knock him off the top spot.)
Anyway, they were of course referencing my slow-boiling crush turned fantastical explosion on the ridiculously talented Oscar Isaac. Appearing in some of the best movies of 2015, and looking to do the same this year, Isaac has charmed the pants off of everyone and then some (and then some indeed.) This little anecdote has a point; basically no one stops me when I go full throttle into an artist’s career and my friends are basically enablers on the actor crack I inject myself with.
It is why a film such as 10 Years would never have been prominent on films I'd want to see unless someone pointed out that Oscar Isaac is not only in it, but sings too.
Which luckily someone did.
A long winded introduction that maybe but perhaps a little explanation as to why I actually enjoyed this film more than the expectation I was willing to give it. Oscar Isaac sings in it.
10 Years is an American comedy from director and screenwriter Jamie Linden, based on a small town high school reunion where old friends and old flames come to celebrate a decade out of school. While some are settled - married and with kids - others are rich or famous, coming back with a mountain of praise. However, when they all return to the places of their youth, they are confronted with old emotions as well as some new ones.
Why is it Bad?
Oooompppph I wouldn't say bad because I was unashamedly swept up by its charisma like the eyes and swagger of the gorgeous jock, sauntering down the hallway. But like that unachievable jock, when you finally get to know the film, it turns out quite simple and dull. 10 Years has one plot, and loads of threads it dances down which, at times, dampens the entire movie with bouts of tedium. Linden's capture of late twenties life is sweet but has moments that ebb your attention away, like being forced to watch your old high school home videos or actually attending your own reunion. Great for some parts and utterly boring for others.
Why is it Good?
Well, what film boasts Chris Pratt, Justin Long, Oscar Isaac, Ron Livingston, Rosario Dawson, Kate Mara, Aubrey Plaza, Channing, AND Jenna Tatum? The star-studded cast who have funnily enough spent the last three years taking the film industry by storm do well enough with a cutesy, charming script that is generous enough to give most a spotlight here. Linden is also a very keen director who has captured the realism of reunions, both the good and the bad, and 10 Years - despite the famous faces - actually feels as though you were a fly on the wall, catching the emotions and drama as it unfolds.
Whilst, yes, I may have been lured into the film with the promise of the sublime Isaac crooning on a guitar (to his own written song Never Had and honestly, it's such a tenderly amazing moment that you’ll have a multitude of orgasms watching) - I was left with a rather sweet and affable film that is funny, poignant, and a pleasant surprise.