The Ten Rules (2002) User Reviews

Funny, well-designed short film with attractive gay women.

[eachtoeach · 7/10 · 24 July 2003]

I thought this was cleverly amusing with modest production values that work well for the indie market. Dialog and narration moved quickly and there were some good surprises.

Probably not nearly so funny if you're not gay and not a woman, but if you are, there are definitely some laughs.

Funny survival guide

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 23 September 2013]

There's so many gay-related short films out there, probably hundreds, but hardly any of these is ever about lesbians, so this half-an-hour film made for a pretty entertaining watch. I don't have any lesbian friends, so I can't be a judge on how accurate this catalog of rules actually is, but the central character Jennifer Baker (played by Michelle Paradise) made it seem authentic to me. I also liked how she didn't take herself too seriously with comments like "Dyke drama is real". That's a thing I'm missing on many short films on the matter, which are either too serious or just try to hard to be funny.

This was Lee Friedlander's very first directorial effort and judging from the reception of his feature films, sadly possibly also his best film. It's surely worth a watch, also if you don't play for the girl-on-girl team. I liked the Blondie song they used and I thought the ending was a great way to close it in showing that, after all, no matter who you got the hots for, it's all about overcoming your shyness and take the bull by the horns. Recommended.

hilarious!

[creechal · 10/10 · 18 June 2003]

This short is so funny and so true! I saw it as a part of a series of lesbian shorts put together by Power Up at this year's National Women's Music Festival. I was impressed enough to come here looking for more information on the flick. I hope to see more of Michelle Paradise in the future.

So simple yet so true!

[miss_camera · 9/10 · 3 August 2005]

Wow! I really hope to see more short movies of Michelle Paradise. She's definitely a good writer, and a good actress too. This short is hilarious! It's simple, and yet so true. I like the look of it too : the editing is great, and so are the shots. The storyline is brought with a nice touch, giving the viewer the feeling that the main character is actually speaking to her (I could say 'him', but I don't think a lot of guys have seen this movie :P). It's funny, fresh, and it gives us the chance to realize that much of what's going on in the lesbian community... well, really looks like this :P I bought the 'Watching You' DVD without having seen any of the films featured on it, and I can say that its worth the price if you want to own 'The Ten Rules'. Check it out! :)