The Popkorn Junkie :: Ocean's Eleven

After watching "Erin Brockovich", I wanted to vomit. After watching "Traffic", I was mesmerized. After watching "Ocean's Eleven", I have reached the almighty conclusion that Steven Soderberg may be one of the top three greatest directors in the United States today. This remake of the old Rat pack caper has as much finesse, charm, and wit as any film I have seen this year, and though the plot is moderately faulty, this is still one hell of a good movie.

George Clooney stars as Daniel Ocean, a recently released ex-con who embarks on an exciting scheme to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. One reason is the cash. Another reason is that the casino owner is dating his ex-wife. Anyhoo, Clooney enlists the help of 10 other gentlemen, including: Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, and Don Cheadle. Julia Roberts co-stars as Clooney's ex, and Andy Garcia is quietly ruthless as the casino owner bad guy. The cast is perfect--it couldn't be any more perfect. And, one note--Carl Reiner definitely deserves a Best Supporting Actor nod for his breathtaking performance as Saul Bloom, veteran con-man and expert actor.

One scene in particular is hilarious. Clooney has just been released from prison, and he goes to Hollywood searching for Pitt, who is teaching Hollywood stars how to play cards. Joshua Jackson and Barry Watson turn in witty cameos as themselves in an outstanding card game sequence. Another scene in which Brad Pitt is pretending to be a doctor is equally hilarious as he invokes every doctor cliché in the book. Affleck and Caan, brothers in the film, turn up more than Clooney and Pitt, though they aren't quite as memorable.

Soderberg's expertise with handling dialogue is almost as crafty and veteran as Mamet's in "Heist", but not quite. One exchange between Roberts and Clooney in the restaurant is priceless, as Clooney puns, "I only lied about being a thief." The film builds up to an enjoyable ending with a twist expected, yet unexpected. During several points in the film, you think they are going to get caught, or something has gone wrong, only to find out that what you thought was wrong, was really completely planned. As if they could kick Clooney off the team???

"Ocean's Eleven" is good, solid entertainment and was the first film to dethrone Harry Potter... so it also has that in it's corner. If you wan my honest opinion, the new version is far better than the Rat pack version, but I don't like Frank Sinatra the actor, so I am slightly biased. Anyhoo, this is quality filmmaking with good old fashioned plot development and one of the greatest ensemble casting jobs in the history of American cinema. Definitely put this one on your list--you won't be disappointed.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 2 out of 4 pops )

In a few words: a huge disappointment. The problem with this movie is not that it's bad, but it's dull. Of course, you can't help but be stunned by the vast array of talented performers--but that's just the point. More performers means more characters, which means less character development and more chaos. The characters of Scott Caan, Casey Affleck and Bernie Mac didn't even seem essential to the plot (the little there was). George Clooney is good and charismatic, like always, and so is Julia Roberts, though she's only on screen for about ten minutes. I really wish they could've taken more time to develop their relationship. Brad Pitt, on the other hand, looks like he's in a coma. I've never seen the original "Ocean's 11," so I can't make a comparison, but this remake moves at a very low tide.

Patsy ( 3 out of 4 pops )

The story was good, the acting was good, the cast was good, but there was something that bothered me-- the movie just seemed too long and drawn out. I blame this all on Steven Soderberg. You know a director is full of himself (or herself) when they feel that every moment of their film deserves to be on the screen and when the director adds long boring shots of nothing-- it's pure ego. For example, there is one scene when this British guy (one of the 11, why he had a hard British accent and used tons of non-comprehendible slang-- is a mystery to me) who is their explosives expert explains to the rest of the 10 about some specific bomb. He's just sitting in a chair and everyone else is standing around him in a semi-circle listening...this went on for about 3-5 minutes. It was so pointless and it looked ridiculous! Things like that just bothered me. I would definitely recommend this movie as a rental...I'm not sure it's worth the effort and money to go see it in the theater though.

James ( 3 out of 4 pops )

I've been wanting to see this film for some time and now, and while I liked it, I am a little disappointed. It's not as good as I had hoped it would be, but I never saw the original so I have nothing to compare, however, my dad did and he said Soderberg's version is much better. So on that, I'll give it a good review. Now, why was I disappointed? Too big a cast. I think the film could have done without Josh Jackson and Topher Grace's cameos and Julia Roberts (Oh, heavens to Betsy, I broke a commandment!). Seriously, she's annoying, and the cameo's were useless. The rest of the cast was great, especially Andy Garcia who is brilliant. Also, the comedic chemistry between Scott Caan and Casey Affleck is top notch. Same goes for Bernie Mac and Matt Damon...well that's just one scene, but it's still hilarious! Don Cheadle masters the British accent to perfection (I almost thought he was British he was so good, but he's from Missouri). Overall, I liked it, but I expected better from Mr. Soderberg. I still say "The Limey" is his best movie.

Mike ( 3 out of 4 pops )

"Oceans 11" is one fast paced entertaining film that is much better than the original movie. Only the title and basic plot are similar. This movie does not take itself very seriously and is nowhere as ambitious as Soderberg's "Traffic", but it is still a fun movie to see. There are many holes in the plot but the film keeps you guessing how they are gonna pull the heist off and there are plenty of surprises and laughs on the way. Clooney and Pitt as well as most of the other "11" are pretty good here. A fun PopKorn movie...