"10"---9/30/10

Consider all three characters (Webber, Jenny, and Sam) in terms of the romance genre. What is the cultural work being done by each? How does the relationship between the three characters resist and/or protect “romance”?

In the film “10” the main character Webber (Dudley Moore) is suffering from a mid-life crisis at age 43. Jenny (Bo Derek) represents the dream girl for any man going through a mid-life crisis. Sam (Julie Andrews) is clearly Webber’s perfect match. She is smart, educated, talented and understands Webber. He obviously enjoys her company and is torn by his longing to be young and his love for Sam.

In the film, Webber essentially goes off the map in an attempt to meet and woo Jenny. He finally meets Jenny after saving her husband’s life in Mexico. The sex scene that ensues is a debacle of sorts. Jenny is young and aloof, she comes from a different generation of lovers. Webber is older and accustomed to the type of foreplay Jenny wants to engage in. The “10” he fantasizes about and the lovemaking he believes will be a “10” is instead awkward and clumsy. In the end, I assume that Webber realizes that the relationship he had with Sam is a “10” and goes back to her with his tail between his legs.

The relationships in this film protect romance by giving a glimpse at the “other side”. In a relationship, one or both persons involve will find themselves at some point wondering if they may be suited for someone else. And typically, if one of them decides to step out of the relationship for a while what they find is that it was not the relationship they were unsure of but rather themselves. Jenny’s character resists the notion of romance. Webber asks her during their fling if she likes him, her response is that she sleeps with whomever she wants if she feels like it. This crushes Webber, who clearly was hoping that Jenny would fall in love with him and the two could live happily ever after. His objection to Jenny’s liberal notions of love, sex and marriage further protect traditional romance.