Think I'll wait for the next remake!

Rating: Null/10 (26 January 2002)

If ever I WANTED to enjoy a film.....this was it. Willing it to get better right to the last frame, my emotions were dashed - big time!
Now call me hard to please if you wish, but never have I seen so many act so well, with such crisp direction and style - for SO LITTLE! The whole thing amounted to absolutely nothing - equalling, some cruel observationalists might nominate, Julia Roberts' contribution to the flick!
So far LESS than the sum of its parts OCEANS ELEVEN is only marginally better than the lack-luster original which had much the same effect on me in 1961! (but that COULD have been coz I was dating this awesomely desirable chick from 11th grade at the time and may have been somewhat distracted from the plot)
If you have seen the shorts - don't bother with the film, they are the momentary highlights to be gleaned here. One of the major problems I believe is the rather disjointed and episodic mini-drama intercuts that Soderbergh has cobbled together as a hi-tech film. For me, it just didn't work, in fact I was amusing myself mentally in the theater, wondering just how much difference it would have made to the film if the laborious "lead-up" vignettes as they basically are, were edited together in a totally different order. I doubt anyone would either notice or care!
Hell of a waste of Clooney - he carried himself AND Danny Ocean quite brilliantly. I hope they make THE RETURN OF DANNY OCEAN one day with John Frankenheimer directing! Andy Garcia as Terry Benedict, the fantatically cashed up and soulless triple Casino owner was great, while Elliot Gould pulled off the role of his career, despite minimal screen time, as rival Casino owner Reuben Tishkoff.
Pitt has managed rave notices for his role - why I can't imagine? and Damon and the rest of the (almost) dirty dozen are simply on-hand. The last mega embarrassing five minutes of the flick totally sink it, with the chummy group gazing up into the sky on cue waiting desperately for someone to make some worthwhile comment. It never happens! For those of you thought this was great entertainment - look at it again more objectively! This really is "The King's New Clothes" revisited!