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| photo courtesy of kissottawa.com |
Sandra Bullock, Cate
Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Awkwafina, and
Helena Bonham Carter star in Ocean’s 8,
the latest installment of the Ocean’s
series of star-studded heist flicks. Bullock leads the team as Debbie Ocean,
sister of Danny Ocean (George Clooney) from the 2001 movie. Apparently
professional thievery runs in the family, because Debbie has her eye on a big
prize: a $150 million necklace worn to the Met Gala.
Ocean’s 8 isn’t as savvy or as
effortless as the best of Clooney’s trilogy, and that's okay. The movie certainly tries to evoke
the same stylishness that made Ocean’s
Eleven such a blast, and it manages to replicate some of the building
blocks, like jazzy music and flashy, vaguely 70’s visuals (fast zooms, Powerpoint
transitions, etc). Bullock and Blanchett have just as much swagger as Clooney
and Pitt. And yet despite the presence of many of the component parts, Ocean’s 8 just doesn’t have the same
flair. There’s some elusive ingredient missing.
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| photo courtesy of globalnews.ca |
But barring that
unfavorable comparison, Ocean’s 8 includes
just about everything you could ask for in a carefree heist film. The Ocean’s movies are all about glamour—the
star power of the cast, the thrill of a crazy caper, a few twists and turns—and
all of those things are in 8. There’s
little interest here in high drama or huge showdowns; it’s all about watching
Bullock and the entourage show off some slick tricks, crack jokes, and have a
good time together. Breezy is the name of the game.
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| photo courtesy of time.com |
Interestingly, Ocean’s 8 has a bit more going on underneath
the surface than any of its predecessors. The casting of the movie feels very
conscious, with each of the actresses playing with their public image in some
way. Sometimes it’s to lean into that image (and, in the case of Anne Hathaway,
to parody it), and sometimes it’s to play against type (Blanchett, Kaling, and
Bullock, to a degree). It’s hard to say too much without giving away spoilers,
but suffice it to say that Ocean’s 8
is dealing with its cast’s star power in a very meta-textual kind of way. (Of
course, the Ocean’s franchise is no
stranger to oblique, meta commentary. Remember when Julia Roberts played Julia
Roberts in Ocean’s Twelve? Because I
do.)
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| photo courtesy of vulture.com |
Part of the equation
has to do with the fact that the movie centers around the Met Gala, which
effectively places fashion, wealth, and celebrity front and center. With that
setting in the foreground, Ocean’s 8 says
something about how the public image and consumption of that world can clash
with reality. At the same time, the movie also seems to adore it all, making sure to pay homage to Anna Wintour and the sheer glory of the Gala. None of this is directly stated—that would be far too formal for
a lighthearted heist flick—but the ideas are definitely there, hidden in a
boatload of celebrity cameos.
FINAL VERDICT: Not
quite as stylish as its predecessors, Ocean’s
8 is still pretty smooth.
TRAILER
Watch the trailer here.
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| photo courtesy of cnet.com |
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