Updated 12:47 pm.EST, Sun November 22, 2009

Entertainment > Movie|Tue, Jul. 31 2007 08:12 AM EDT

New Film Spoofs Ten Commandments

By Kevin Jackson|Christian Post Reporter

A new movie set to be released this Friday will feature the Ten Commandments from the Bible in a very unflattering way.

  • winona ryder the ten
    Winona Ryder's character flirts with a ventriloquist doll she has fallen in love in 'The Ten,' releasing this Friday.

”The Ten,” written by the same director of Wet Hot American Summer, is a compilation of ten different stories, each depicting one of the ancient commandments given to Moses by God.

Christians have expressed their concern about the film and how it degrades and insults God and His laws. Many critics, however, believe the movie will have little influence.

“The Ten Commandments have been a cornerstone of our society for nearly one hundred years,” explained “The Ten” director David Wain on the film’s website. “If you've ever taken a Sunday off, or if you've ever stopped yourself from murdering someone, then you yourself have been following the Ten Commandments without even knowing it.”

The film has a number of stars in it including Paul Rudd, Adam Brody, Gretchen Mol, Winona Ryder, Oliver Platt and Jessica Alba. Each of them either stars or plays minor roles in each of the short scripts. Each uses the Bible to create a foundation for an often inappropriate caricature.

A main example of one of the acts tells the story of a virgin librarian who takes a trip to Mexico and experiences a sexual awakening with a local named Jesus H. Christ.

Other shorts include a prisoner coveting his inmate’s “wife,” a woman who steals a ventriloquist doll after she falls in love with it, and a police detective who covets his neighbor’s Cat Scan machine.

Some Christian leaders feel that the film is part of a larger trend of increasing antagonism toward Christianity and religion in America.

"This is going to be a very negative attack on faith and values," said Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, to World Net Daily. "It's very sad society has descended into this attack mode."

There have been mixed reviews towards the film, with some finding the over-the-top humor entertaining while others feeling it went too far.

The review by the Associated Press gave it one and a half out of four stars.

“Anytime you compile a series of vignettes and call it a feature film, you're going to have hits and misses. It's the nature of the structure,” reviewed Christy Lemire of AP. “’The Ten,’ unfortunately, has more misses.”

Many faith-based critics are not greatly worried about the impact it will have morally, however.

Its distributor, City Lights Pictures, is not one of the major companies and should not be far reaching.

"This [film] is not going to be a major influence," added Baehr.

Still, movie critics are voicing their concerns over the spoofing of something featured so prominently in Judaism and Christianity.

"In the old film code, you couldn't defame anyone's religion," Baehr said.

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  • Fri Aug 03, 2007 2:29 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    is this how hollywood cleans up its act by making fun of christians and jews.when will hollywood take it upon itself to be uplifting and a positive role model to humanity,is the only thing they care about money,

  • Fri Aug 03, 2007 2:22 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

    james cameron documentary called the exodus decoded,well done,new discoverys,and proofs

  • Wed Aug 01, 2007 6:29 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    romans 10:2-4 Galalations 3:25&25 and galalation 5:4,those who are in Christ know who they are in God,those who are outside of Christ Know who they are,and each act acording as they have belived and each will be judged acordingly,however christians go to there rewards -The ungodly go to there judgement,-Jesus justifyes his own,the ungodly justify themselfs,which is the greater authority.

  • Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:32 am Agree: 6   Disagree: 1

    Great post, Jupiter. With the hope that it would benefit Hampstead Pete to know why the first four commandments are, as he says, "nothing but variations" on the same theme, I would like to share that the reason for this is that when you get your relationship with God right, and arrange your heart and life around His rightful place (which is above all), then you turn toward the other six. The first four are vertical (man to God) and the last six are horizontal (man to fellow man). That's why Jesus said the Law comes down to loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and then loving your neighbor as yourself.

    Atheists have all sorts of comments and "proof" that you can be moral without following God's laws, and I guess some who are determined manage to do that on the outside, but God looks at the heart. Getting your heart right with God will not prevent you from breaking these commandments, but it will ensure that you repent and continue to let the Lord cleanse you as you go (1 John 1:9).

    I think those of us who are believers need to be sure we are clinging close to the Lord and ready to share and help others find their way to Him in these days as things get worse and worse (as we know from the Word they will).

    Blessings.

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:39 pm Agree: 8   Disagree: 3

    Just more secular humanism propaganda for their vain attempt to create an anti-christ nation unto their own demise.

    Remember: "A scoffers attempt to make the pursuit of truth into a distraction of entertainment merely feeds their own self-deception, their own world-view of meaninglessness and their personal sense of worthlessness."
    - Hilton Harrell, Jr

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:26 pm Agree: 6   Disagree: 6

    Hamstead, you have shown your absolute ignorance anytime you have written a response to this site. The law comes directly from the 10 Commandments, Exodus and Levitticus. Also, you have shown an absolute ignorance of history in not knowing that murder was a very terrible problem before the law. If you look at any of the pagan culture of the time and latter. You would notice that infanticide, human sacrafice, etc. were parts of these false religions. Human life ment nothing to these cultures. It takes a real man to be a Christian. You are too weak and ignorant to beleive any truth. So why don't you stop writting here until you grow a pair, little pete.

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:40 pm Agree: 11   Disagree: 16

    My goodness, the "ten commandments" added absolutely nothing to the culture that wasn't already there. Various "codes of ethics" preceded the ten by centuries, and most of them focussed more on the alleviation of human suffering than anything in the old testament. If our laws were truly based upon the ten commandments, we would still be living in the iron age.

    You don't really think that murder was OK before moses came down from the mountain, do you? Another minor thing: The first four commandments are nothing but variations on the theme "worship me, worship me!" Does this not suggest that the early Hebrews were a polytheistic culture?

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:09 am Agree: 7   Disagree: 3

    What a great opportunity to share the truth and our faith with movie goers! I don't plan on ore recommend viewing this movie, but go to the theater and strike up a conversation with someone who has just seen it! Share with them the true Ten Commandments and how we have all violated them and are in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ!

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 8:00 am Agree: 17   Disagree: 1

    First of all let me say that stories like these are just fulfilling what God's Word tell us. In the last days there will be scoffers and mockers. This film shows a clear mockery and scoffing of God's Word. So for me this just keeps solidifying my walk with Jesus Christ! I say Hallelujah!
    Second let me say that I no longer watch TV and I don't go to many movies as the content speaks for itself!
    May You be glorified Lord Jesus and may You find faith on the earth!

  • Tue Jul 31, 2007 7:16 am Agree: 15   Disagree: 1

    It is open season on Christians because they know that we will not come after the filmmakers with machetes and guns. They would not dare offend other religions for fear of their lives in some cases. This worthless piece of trash is not even worth reporting on. If they think they are going to become famous for trashing Christianity they are horribly deceived. This will probably be their last movie.

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