Commandments
Cast :Aidan Quinn, Courteney Cox
Director :Daniel Taplitz
Studio :Universal Studios
Format :Widescreen, Color, Dolby
Released Date :May 02, 1997
DVD Released Date :November 23, 2004
Language :English (Dubbed)
Audience Rating :R (Restricted)
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Customer Reviews
Rating
DateNovember 21, 2004
Summaryfinally on dvd!
Content
I have been waiting for this movie to be released on dvd for years! Sad but not depressing -- and the ending is pitch-perfect.

Rating
DateAugust 01, 2002
Summarythis is an ancient story. . .
Content
This is a retelling of the Job story from the Old Testament. And the genius of the film is that (even though the movie includes another biblical story to wind up Seth's story) it ends much like the book of Job; there is no answer to why all these things happen to humans, but still there is the overwhelming sense that you just have to know more about this God. I'm sure this film doesn't sit well with conservative Jews or Christians--too much sex. That's okay--not much sits well with conservative viewers. It is a nice counterpoint to the notion on our culture that if you love God, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Here, Seth perseveres in this relationship even though he is terribly angry with God.

Rating
DateMarch 03, 2002
SummaryUnusual and interesting
Content
Seth (Aidan Quinn) is in a bad way. His pregnant wife drowned a year ago, his house has been demolished in a tornado, and he's lost his job. "Why, God?" he asks. God responds with a carefully aimed lightning bolt which not only hits Seth, but also manages to maim his pet dog.

Homeless and jobless, Seth goes to stay with his late wife's sister, Rachel (Courteney Cox) and her no-good husband, Harry (Anthony LaPaglia). And Harry's collection of priceless guitars. We know that Harry is no good because the first time we see him, he's cheating on Rachel with gusto. Seth is lost and confused - why has God chosen to punish him, a good, loyal, hard-working religious man, rather than someone like, say, Harry? Not only is he confused, he's getting pretty angry. So he makes up his mind to break each of the Ten Commandments, one by one.

"Commandments" raises some interesting questions - very few of which it actually manages to answer. Most of the time, it doesn't even make an attempt at this. Rather than trying to figure out exactly *why* God is punishing Seth, it turns into a comedy as Seth wife-covets, ignores the Sabbath and blasphemes his way across the screen. More interesting than Seth is Harry, who is nasty in a refreshingly human way, while Courteney Cox as Rachel is lovely, but more than a little distant.

The characters and their dilemmas are somewhat inaccessible; we end up not caring about them as much as we should, I guess. A lot of the scenes seem illogical, and the cold blue sets do their part in cutting off the audience. However it's a lot more quirky and off-beat than most of the comedies in circulation at the moment. Keep an eye out for it.


Rating
DateMarch 30, 2000
SummaryNot recommended for religious people with no sense of humor
Content
But still good for the open-minded! I guess I should say you shouldn't see this movie unless you are a big fan of one of the cast members. The characters could have been developed better and the movie could have been longer (it is about an hour and a half). But still, it's a good movie to see if you like dark comedy, and I mean really, really dark. I myself liked it a lot; however, it is pretty strange and the ending could have been much, much better. Harry is a rather static character that you will probably hate, unless you love Anthony LaPaglia, and Sparky the dog is an added bonus. Rent this movie - you may regret it, but you probably won't.

Rating
DateDecember 14, 1999
SummaryMy fave
Content
Even if this movie didn't have Courteney Cox Arquette, it'd still be my favourite. I love the movie so much, especially the darkness of it. The acting is superb!
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