Thou Shalt ... Pass Over ... The Extras

DVD of "The Ten" delivers a great movie but lackluster supporting material

The gold standard for DVD commentaries for comedies has to be “Bubba Ho-Tep,” in which Bruce Campbell, in character as Elvis, as he was in the movie, delivers commentary on the movie as Elvis might have thought of it. Or, more straightforward, Bobcat Goldthwait giving the ins and outs of how he made the controversial cult comedy “Sleeping Dogs Lie.” [see Blog entry]

“The Ten,” now on DVD (to purchase, click here), is a great comedy, although the extras aren’t as outstanding as the movie itself. Having already reviewed the movie (see Blog entry), we’ll confine this review just to the extras. The commentary by director-writer David Wain, writer-actor Ken Marino and actor-producer Paul Rudd, takes a unique tack, even as some of it meanders. What really makes the commentary is the inclusion of Wain’s parents, who don’t hesitate to critique their son’s work. It’s great to hear something on a commentary other than unmitigated self-praise and adulation.

The other extras on the DVD, don’t really add all that much -- the “special interview” with Wain, Rudd and Marino finds them taking over from the meek interviewer and riffing without a lot of content or ideas to draw from; and the episode of Wain’s “Wainy Days,” is even more surreal and off-kilter than his short-lived Comedy Central series, “Stella.”

All in all, don’t consider this a pan, because “The Ten” is so funny as a film -- think of it more like a consumer report, that the extras on the DVD are not particularly unique.