As far as movie formulas go, these Ocean's movies have it made. The first film, a remake of an amiable Rat Pack flick from the '60s, got most of its mileage from handsome, likable movie stars bantering just as we imagine handsome, likable movie stars bantering in their real lives. The second film refined the formula, practically dispensing with the heist plot and edging the series into the realm of pseudo-documentary (Julia Roberts' character gets mistaken for Julia Roberts by Bruce Willis, playing himself.) And probably the biggest laugh of this likable third entry comes when Brad Pitt's character (I forget his name) chides George Clooney's Danny Ocean (I only remember his because it's in the title) for packing on pounds in between heists — a dig at his Oscar-winning role in Syriana — only for Clooney to retort that Pitt himself should start a family and have a couple of kids — in reference to his misadventures with Angelina Jolie.
We're drawn to these films because they make us feel we've been offered a privileged glimpse into the actors' lives. Said actors are the anti-Cruises; their power comes not from their kooky aloofness, but from their seeming availability. That these privileged glimpses only serve (go figure) to make these folks seem even cooler and more appealing is all the better. It ensures that we'll line up the next time another Ocean's rolls out. Meta never seemed so sexy.
You might be wondering what this third entry is actually about. Here, Danny Ocean and his crew start feeling vengeful (but in a very relaxed, affable way) when their colleague and patron Reuben (Elliott Gould) gets stiffed by shark-like casino developer Willie Bank (Al Pacino) in the creation of a new Vegas playhouse. They then conspire to arrange for Bank to lose lots of money, while also thwarting his ambitions to get a coveted award. As usual, making all this happen requires lots of elaborately conceived, not to mention far-fetched, trickery.
But plausibility is not the issue here; we just want to spend some time with the movie stars. And while the film certainly delivers the goods on that score, director Steven Soderbergh and company are pulling back a bit. After all, Ocean's 12 was such a cavalcade of starfuckery that the plot practically vanished. Here, the plot makes a comeback, but its complexity may be at odds with our simple star-watching needs. Although the balance ultimately works here, it makes you wonder just how enduring the appeal of the series will be. Enjoy it while it lasts.
— Bilge Ebiri
