Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

For some reason, I always get a kick out of actors who aren't afraid to poke fun at themselves or the public's perception of them. I'm also a big fan of screenwriters who write with a specific actor in mind because no other actor could play the part, and then the filmmakers manage to get that actor on board for the movie. Like Brando in The Freshman, John Wayne in The Shootist, John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich, even Peter O'Toole in the upcoming film Venus. But 10 Items or Less is kind of a combination of the two micro-genres, in which Morgan Freeman plays a version of himself (clearly a role no one else on earth could play), but also makes fun of the types of films that people know him for.

In one of the oddest little gems of the year, Freeman plays an actor who looks an awful lot like Morgan Freeman (a lot of people who recognize him say, "I saw you in that Ashley Judd movie), visiting a small California town outside of L.A. to do research for a role he's considering taking in an independent film in which he would play a grocery story manager. The role, according to the plot, would end the actor's four-year absence from films (perhaps the only aspect to this character that is not like Freeman), and he is on the fence about taking the part. 10 Items or Less (in no way connected to the new TV show of the same name) is about the actor (referred to in the credits as "Him") and his adventures around the town with a clerk at the store named Scarlet, played by the lovely Spanish actress Paz Vega (Spanglish).

I've never seen Freeman in a role like this one: he's free floating, loose, smiling all the time, joking, flirtatious, and game for anything the day (and writer-director Brad Silberling) throws at him. The actor follows abrasive Scarlet around for the day attempting to see what her life is like. At some point in the recent past, she was sleeping with the store manager (Bobby Cannavale), but he's now sleeping with another one of the clerks and Scarlet wants nothing more than to leave the job ASAP. She's actually got a job interview lined up for that afternoon, and the unnamed actor wants nothing more than to prep her in every aspect for the event. Freeman's first time inside a Target to buy Scarlet an outfit for the interview is a scream, but after the rather revealing ensemble is secured, he must fortify her mentally since her self-confidence is dismally low.

The pair spend most of their day just talking about their lives, learning about the things they love and hate about the turns their paths have made. They discover that, although their lives are drastically different, they share ambitions and dreams. There is a strange and slightly sexual chemistry between the two, but the actor brings up his wife and kids so many times, we realize he may be reminding himself they exist as a boundary from any hanky panky happening.

This no-budget effort comes from the unlikely Silberling, whose past work includes Casper, City of Angels, Moonlight Mile, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. 10 Items or Less isn't as wise as it thinks it is, but it possesses an infectious charm that is undeniable. You want this friendship to continue past the point in the story when Scarlet finally drops the actor off at his home, but there's a certainty that it won't. I have no idea whether we learn anything about the enigmatic Freeman through this work or not, but Silberling has convinced me we have. Vega can't help but be desirable on a certain level, but rather than simply pretend she isn't a temptation for the actor, Silberling increases her attractiveness (with a revealing interview wardrobe) as the film goes on.

At its core, 10 Items is about two people discovering who the other really is and feeling comfortable and secure enough in the others strengths and weaknesses to open up and be more exposed than they would with people they've know for years. There's a belief that it's easier to open up to a total stranger who you'll never see again than it is your loved ones. This film is both example and proof of that theory. If it's not already playing in your city, keep an eye out for it at an art house near you.

Capone