I’m a fan of the recent trend that takes male-dominated fare, and re-casts it with ladies. I think it’s about time, and to be completely honest, I think women make just as compelling heroes as men do. This adaptation seems like a no-brainer: a band of women criminals joining forces for a big sting…and revenge to boot. I’ve seen both the original Ocean’s 11 and the remake, the latter of which is juuust about the height of heist. Could this film stand up to that kind of pressure, both socially, and historically?
Yup.
THE BLURB:
Five years, eight months, 12 days and counting — that’s how long Debbie Ocean has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it’s going to take — a team of the best people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller. Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweler Amita, street con Constance, suburban mom Tammy, hacker Nine Ball, and fashion designer Rose. Their target — a necklace that’s worth more than $150 million.
WHAT WORKED:
Man, the cast. For real. Sandra Bullock is a gd legend. Seriously. She’s soooo freaking gooood. She always delivers. Charming. Badass. Funny. Intelligent. And vulnerable, which don’t get it twisted, is a *crucial* element to any hero, George Clooney fucking included. And then there’s Cate Blanchett, who’s wonderfully goth-y and deadpanned. Badassery personified. Those two really play the characters that are the pillars of this film, and these two ladies fit the bill.
I also loved the entire rest of the supporting cast, which is likewise impressive in its star power. Rihana I was worried about, she’s a pop star after all not an actress…she was delightful. Her ‘sister’ was even BETTER, I wish we’d seen her more in fact. Helena Bonham Carter is amazing, and she was amazing in this movie. In fact, it was one of her scenes that really sold me on this movie working. Sara Paulson, amaze, as always. Anne Hathaway was amaze. Perhaps the most subtle and realistic work was from her. Awkwafina: might have been my favorite of them all.
I mean…really, really impressive cast…which is what the dude’s Ocean’s 11 was alll about, right? Stud it with all-stars and make the magic happen. So, did it work? Fuck yeah.
The script delivers. This is a HEIST movie after all. As much as it hinges on an all-star cast, the other half of the promise is that you’re going to deliver fun, shenanigans, outsmarting, montage-ing, and hijinx all centered around a HEIST that has to dazzle and surprise us and keep us guessing. And they pull off exactly that. As soon as the heist really started with Helena Bonham Carter’s character needing to improvise to get their macguffin jewels up somewhere with cell reception, I was in and I never looked back.
I actually loved the steps the filmmakers took to make this female-centric Ocean’s feminine as well. Instead of the badass suit-walk after the successful heist (spoiler!), we get a badass gown walk. We’re stealing jewelry. The setting is a gala. For me, it pointed out that femininity can be just as badass as masculinity…and that is good stuff. Great stuff.
The movie is fresh, where another male-dominated entry would have been stale.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
The beginning.
It was slow for about the first 30-40 minutes or so, and I was worried we’d have another Ghostbusters on our hands, which didn’t fail because it was about LADIES…but failed in that it wasn’t executed quite well enough. Jokes weren’t landing. Nobody was laughing out loud. Debbie’s escapades on her own were slow. I was worried. My wife was not…and she was right, because as I mentioned above, as soon as the heist really got started, those worries evaporated.
And…I think that’s about it. It’s all I can think of right now, anyway. Oh, except maybe more of Rihanna’s sister…but that’s not at all something that didn’t work. If anything, she worked so well, I missed more of her 😛
As someone who loves heist movies, this is one that can and should be loved simply for what it is: a well-made heist movie. It delivers. It’s funny, it’s exciting, it keeps you guessing, and it’s fun. Bravo. The expectations and the pressure to execute must have been enormously unfair…and the ladies pulled it off wonderfully. I really enjoyed myself.
8 out of 10 – one of the better entries in the Ocean’s franchise. It’s fresh.