The king of the dialog comedy

Rating: 7/10 (7 February 2010)

Steven Soderbergh is the unchallenged lord of comedic dialog (not including Inigo Montoya, but that character has only been in one movie.) Soderbergh has proved this countless times, with everything from this to the Informant!
Generally, his movies contain very little "immature" comedy, which comprises physical comedy, primarily people being hit in the groin or the head. His comedies rely much more heavily on wit and comedic interplay. They are all the better for this fact.
Ocean's Eleven, definitely the smartest and best of the Ocean's movies, may be the best of the Soderbergh collection in general. These actors have the art of banter down to a science, literally. I think some of them may have majored in it in college. The Oceans crew pull off the effect of making this gang of thieves seem like a family, albeit a dysfunctional one. And therein lies the charm. We are so used to wanting to see the criminals locked up in these movies that it's a refreshing change to see the people on the right side of the law, at least on paper, be the fools and bad guys.
These robbers are in it partially for the money, but partially for the thrill of the heist. But these guys aren't necessarily adrenaline junkies or sociopathic criminals. Rather, it's almost like a sport. The thing that makes these criminals of the Vegas underworld so charming, however, is that they aren't out to hurt people, at least in the physical sense. I don't think any of the crew ever carried a gun at any point in the film.
Not only was I empathizing with these criminals, I was laughing, occasionally to the point of tears, along their exploits. Not at their exploits, these guys are the best in the biz, and for good reason. No, I was laughing at the quick one-liners that were so adeptly thrown in there that not a single laugh feels forced, as well as at the general and increasingly imbecilic and barbaric actions if casino owner Terry Benedict.
This has also got to include one of the best casts ever assembled, as well. George Clooney is marvelous. Almost all of his movies are comedies, but he is able to act so serious, dead-pan, throughout, that he is often forgotten to be a comedian, or at least a funny actor, first and foremost. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are equally fantastic, and Bernie Mac was the funniest he'd been in years. And let's not forgot Don Cheadle. He plays the comedian's role quite nicely. I'd recommend he stick to it, if he wasn't so good in movies like Traitor. And how about that Amazing Yen? Everyone here is so funny in their own unique way that they are incomparable. But that's what makes so good...the cast is so unique, but also grafted together so seamlessly, that is easy to feel that if not all were there, the movie wouldn't be what is. Each piece is of the same importance.
In the end, this may be one of the funniest movies you'll ever see.