I don't know what happened or how it happened. I didn't even realize that Ocean's Eleven was 5 years old, and yet it is. Somehow, I managed to not see it. Like Amelie and some of the other films I've blogged about, when this odd situation happens, when I happen to miss out on a movie that was seemingly quite popular at its time of release, the question becomes: was it worth the wait? Well, I can give you eleven good reasons why I'm saying "yes" this time around.
I really enjoyed this movie. I mean, what's not to love? There are lots of gorgeous men (well, maybe a few but more than the average picture). There is a whip-smart script. And lots and lots of mindless and yet oddly intriguing fluffy entertainment. I mean, the plot is hugely simple. Man loves woman. Woman scorns man. Man is a thief. Woman becomes involved with rich casino mogul. Thief plots the greatest heist of his career and a bit of lover's quarrel type revenge. Thief gets huge all-star crew and some random cameo guest shots - ok, weird that Rusty (Brad Pitt) is teaching poker to Eric Foreman, Piper Halliwell, and some other WB poster children playing themsevles - to help him with the impossible heist all while proving that he is still devoted to woman. Mogul loves money. Woman realizes her mistake. The rest of the picture is the high-tech heist. They're stealing $160 million, but the heist probably cost a million to pull off. Caper pictures always boggle my mind. Is any of that true? Do people pull off heists like that in real life?
I really find it hard to find flaws with this movie because this is one of those films that is meant to be pure entertainment and does not pretend to be more than what it is. The stars know it's all fun and games. There's no major philosophy or message being peddled here. This is all about enjoying some very famous people in a lighthearted yet tightly filmed movie. And Steven Soderbergh - what an accomplished director! I didn't like Solaris much, but everything else he has done has been awesome. And this is no exception. He's got an amazing eye for story and for transition - I didn't feel the time passing on this picture at all. I wonder, how close is this movie to the original?
In fact, with all of this praise, I've talked myself into rating this movie a 9 of 10 (not perfect but close/pure entertainment). Does it pass the test? I think it does! I think I want to own this movie, perhaps for no other reason that it has deepened my recent but quickly maturing crush on George Clooney. Gosh that man gets finer with age. More importantly, I find myself wondering what the sequels are about and thinking I may want to watch them - just as long as there's not eleven of those.