Slick and Tiresome

Rating: 4/10 (21 March 2002)

Hard to believe that such an elaborately made film could be so boring. The actors walked through their paces, some adding more interest than others, but few connecting with a core energy. Where was the core energy? Danny Oceans has big brown eyes (Clooney of course). It was just a total RELIEF when one of the actors flickered or sizzled for a moment. Pitt, Roberts, Reiner, Gould-- and the great electronics guy, whose name i don't have. Matt Damon looked hopeful for a while. But, alas, back to old Brown Eyes . . . .
Devices were plunk-plunk-plunked and plop-plop-plopped, and then exploded. The sub-juvenile bad boys did their schtick. Actually, i saw this one back-to-back with "Stuart Little", which also has an electronically operated situation in it. "Stuart Little" was more exciting. This should have been a good movie, too, even better than S.L. Did it have an attitude problem? Was it just a cardboard front so that Soderbergh could film his parody of the Sally Rand scene from "The Right Stuff"? (Suddenly, I wanted Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid and Scott Glenn more than i can even say.) And tell me, are the crooks big heroes? Is their love of money a spiritual experience we should all aspire to? A movie based on assumptions. Unclear purpose. A little wit, plenty of cheap thrills. Maybe too many.