Ocean's Eleven Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)December 6th, 2001
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle and Carl Reiner. Screenplay by Ted Griffin. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Rated PG-13.
Ocean's Eleven is a pretty film with flashy Las Vegas scenery and charismatic and charming performers such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.
Still it is nothing more. The movie is like Vegas, all sparkling and neon bright, yet underneath it's shallow and hollow.
The plot for this remake of the most popular of the '60s Rat Pack films keeps the basic premise: a group of guys set out to rob some Vegas casinos. But instead of a group of World War II commandos coming together to do the job as in the original, it's a group of scam artists led by ex-con Danny Ocean (Clooney), who also has a personal score to settle.
Also, the stakes are higher. While in the original, the 11 knocked off five casinos and made off with a few million, here the group grabs about $150 million collected from three casinos. The money is conveniently stashed by tough cookie Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) in one of those "impregnable" movie vaults that turn out to be so easy to enter.
Benedict not only owns the three casinos the group plans to hit, but he also is wooing Ocean's ex-wife, Tess (Roberts). And you know Benedict is real mean because he usually doesn't talk above a whisper.
Ocean's Eleven really doesn't require much of its all-star cast - which includes Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Carl Reiner, Scott Caan and Casey Affleck. They just have to look into the camera, act buddy-buddy and smile a lot.
This isn't really a slam on the film. Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) stages the entire heist with panache and some suspense. He jabs and feints, making the audience look one way while he goes another. Throughout the drama, he keeps the audience on its toes, as he continually throws up roadblocks to try to derail the perfect crime.
Ocean's Eleven is a gimmick movie, like its original. And in a sense the angle is the same - star power. In 1960 it was Frank, Dean, Sammy and Peter. Today it's George, Brad, Matt and Julia, with George and Brad providing most of the charisma and wit.
The reward is greater and the technology more sophisticated. But, at heart, its a traditional crime caper drama.
The major difference between the two films is this: the first was almost an elaborate home movie, played tongue in cheek with a"Hey, look at us. ain't we cool" bravado and self-consciousness. In this remake, with a screenplay by Ted Griffin, the 11 seem to be working harder at having fun.
The chemistry is there between the performers, and they understand the film is a lark.
This new Ocean's Eleven is a guilty pleasure type of entertainment. It's showy and enjoyable, a star-studded casino night at the movies.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
