A variety of inner-city kids from all backgrounds and ethnicities participate in the annual business plan competition held by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). Every nine seconds -- somewhere in America -- a teen drops out of high school. But not all teens are willing to become a statistic; many are willing to strive for greatness, but simply lack the basic tools and foundation to do so. In this documentary, filmmaker Mary Mazzio follows several underprivileged teens as they draw
up business plans in an effort to beat the odds and realize their dreams of success. The competition comes to a head in New York City, where 35 of the 24,000 students who've entered vie for the 10,000-dollar prize that will allow them to launch their own business. Interactions with USA Network founder Kay Koplovitz, Home Depot founder Arthur Blank, and Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, among others, help the contestants to realize that living the dream is possible for those willing to put in the hours and make the sacrifices. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Spending more observational time with her smart, resilient and stirringly positive subjects -- even seeing less-edited footage of their business plan speeches -- might have helped sell her inspirational story.
It's the type of film you might expect to see at a fund-raising dinner or a convention banquet, not in a commercial theater. That said, it's a very well-made piece of boosterism.
Mazzio feels the beating heart of the striver and, as a result, Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon never drags, even as it offers an important message to audiences.
Ten9Eight will induce shivers of excitement in free-market proponents who get off on watching ambitious, money-minded young people pull themselves up by their bootstraps and set out to become future titans of industry.
Director Mary Mazzio's film, part documentary and part public-service announcement ... may prompt a discussion of totally revamping standard curriculum.
This film is an inspirational documentary on the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) annual business plan contest for inner city and less advantaged high school students. Director and writer Mary Mazzio has crafted a touching and enlightening story that will captivate high school students,
teachers, parents and business owners/executives.
November 20, 2009
Ray Hamel
Researching on what NFTE offers, I realize what a great program they have in helping low income students in the city to pursue their entrepreneurial path. But after watching Ten9eight I feel NFTE deserves a better documentary film. The award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio must have been on a low budget because it was
crap. 85 minutes of following a group of students through a business plan competition, they barely even mention NFTE in the movie. What's the point to say this is a NFTE movie if they don't even mention it? If you want to spend your weekend watching a ?motivational? movie, don?t bother to go and watch it. Ten9eight is the type of movie you want to put on when you?re restless and need a drug to put you to sleep. That?s all it is good for. NFTE you deserve something better than this!
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