While I was one of the few people who actually really enjoyed Ocean's 12, I am happy to see the gang back in Vegas, where they belong. Pitt, Clooney, Damon and company are out for revenge on Al Pacino this time and the plot is even wilder than the last one. See, this time around, they are rigging every single game in the casino, all while only having a very short amount of time in which to do it. But, does the plot of these movies really matter all that much? I mean, these movies are the epitome of style over substance and in that realm, Director Steven Soderbergh has created yet another smug, self important and beautiful film. The quick shots of the hotel are amazing, the costumes cool and as smug as the attitudes of our "cooler than you" lead actors. Some people are turned off by the smugness of it all, but I happen to very much enjoy self important in jokes. I mean I count Aaron Sorkin as my favorite writer and I love those Mac commercials, so this really is right up my alley. There are numerous jokes about the actors, not the characters, just like in the previous ones, but we don't have to endure Julia Roberts here, which is an added bonus. Instead, we get a hilarious Ellen Barkin, mostly squeezing into dresses far to tight and she is always just a bit off balance. Also, Matt Damon gets to be the seducer here, which is played for some of the best laughs in the movie.
If there were an issue here, it would be that Brad Pitt doesn't have enough screen time as Rusty. In fact, some of the gang is barely here. They are sacrificed for more screen time for Pacino and Barkin. Casey Affleck and Scott Caan don't get much time together here, but Affleck is involved an the uproarious sub-plot involving a Mexican revolt where he speaks dead pan Spanish and it just cracked me up. Don Cheadle spends most of the movie on the side lines but in his one scene to shine he really does shine. The Oprah joke plays even better in the movie than it does in the trailer and plays into the movie later. Pitt and Clooney have an incredible chemistry and their scenes here are just as good as the previous movies, where they finish each other's sentences. Eddie Izzard has a big of a bigger role here and is mostly used as a plot device, well a device to let us in on the plans.
As for the actual heist, it is a blast to watch happen and it is hard not to just enjoy what is happening. Anything the boys need, they get. It is just that simple and that is what makes these movies fun. They are effortless, unapologetic fun. Candy for the brain at the beginning of summer. Where else are you going to find a movie where it is just accepted that people who rob casinos just happen to know Japanese and refuse to let us know what the Japanese character is actually saying. Yet another moment of smug self importance for me to giggle about! A little treat for having endured Pirates of the Caribbean: AT worlds end. If you have seen the first two movies you will see every twist coming and be able to tell what is actually happening from what they want the other characters to see, but having that knowledge makes you feel like you are apart of this team and raises the enjoyment level. The script is cool and breezy, full of jokes that are more clever than they should be and often result in giggles instead of full out laughter, but that is what it is supposed to be. This is supposed to be a series of films that makes us wish robbing casinos was a fun and easy process. We are supposed to want to put on ridiculous wigs and find a way to weigh down dice and in that regard, this movie is a home run and is a movie everyone should see.
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