I never imagined another Ocean's movie because I thought it concluded well enough to not invest time or money into another project. Yes, twelve is close to abysmal with some fun moments. I liked Thirteen as it approaches old-fashioned slickness and also Al Pacino was a good villain. But, no movie will beat the Ocean's Eleven remake, not even its original, which I thought was boring. The remake was a breath of fresh air with a great cast that balances the fun, the humor, the twists and the stakes surrounding Danny Ocean throughout the whole movie. It is definitely one of the best heist movies and probably one of the most re-watchable. Now, at this time, we need more female-driven movies but I'll save one of my complaints for later because I have to be honest. But, for now, even though there are plot twists that felt too convenient and the second act was lagging, but the fine first act and the fun third act along with the chemistry between the cast is enough to be entertained.
Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), estranged sister of Danny Ocean played by George Clooney, has spent the last five years in prison. At a parole hearing, Debbie says that she is ready to re-join society and live a simpler life. But, life as a con woman is not simple after she is freed from prison as she steals several items at a mall and gets a hotel room, pretending to be part of a couple.
Debbie wants to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend, Claude Becker (Richard Armitage), who is an art dealer that snitched on her and got sent to jail. Debbie reunites with her former partner-in-crime, Lou (Cate Blanchett), who works at a bar. She and Lou have a conversation about planning a heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the Met Gala is being held. The plan is to steal a valuable necklace that is worth $150 million. Debbie recruits a team - Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), a formerly regarded fashion designer, Amita (Mindy Kaling), a jewelry designer, Nine Ball (Rihanna), a talented hacker, Constance (Awkwafina), a street hustler who is talented at pickpocketing, Tammy (Sarah Paulson), a suburban mom and she and Lou wants to use snobby socialite, Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), to get the necklace.
Here's the thing: I had fun for the most part despite the many times it becomes too convenient for the characters and also there are no stakes whatsoever. It is just for the fun of it but to get back at the ex-husband. The two big problems are the comedic value where even though it wants to be cool, which it succeeds, there is not much energy in director Gary Ross' direction or in its story because it felt like the actresses needed to carry the energy to attract the audiences. And, the second problem is that it does not quite use the team to enough value. For example, the first third of the movie is the duo between Bullock and Blanchett. And, then, they are on the sidelines for the supporting actresses to shine and it is a hit-and-miss for me.
Even though every female cast member who plays each member of the crew is good, I feel like there are about two or three characters that were memorable. I thought Cate Blanchett is quite fierce as she does not get many roles as a frothy, cool cat. Rihanna surprised me as I believed her as the hacker and delivers some comedic timing. But, the MVP surprisingly goes to Anne Hathaway who makes fun of the persona that is sort of aimed at the people who complained about her past performances. Since her fantastic performance in Colossal (I liked her in Interstellar), she has been going on an interesting trajectory with her performances. And, I bought that she was having fun with her character.
Director Gary Ross does a fine job but does not elevate the material. Even while watching the movie, the structure is familiar because it does resemble the Ocean's Eleven remake but does not match Soderbergh's style of slickness and fun and stakes. Again, Ross' direction is too laid back to let the actresses' talent do the work with their characters. I wanted more because it felt like there were moments that felt like missed opportunities. To be honest, I did not feel like Mindy Kaling or Sarah Paulson had much to do here. And, there were logical flaws here. But, did I have a good time watching it? I can't lie. I did. When the heist got going, it was breezy fun to see the actresses having a good time. Unfortunately, the story was a bit familiar and there was not much tension, just plain convenience. I do recommend it with reservations but I don't think it is a breakthrough to make me warrant a sequel quite yet.
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