Great movie, but don't miss the point...

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2001)

Just saw the movie, and suggest you do too! Seems to me that many people are stomping on it for all the wrong reasons, and are quite simply missing the point. This movie is not about breaking new ground or providing us with insight about how to be a better person. It's made to entertain, and it does so quite cleverly. There's a reason that Clooney and Pitt seem to be the same character that they always are; They're making fun of it! There's a reason that the stakes keep getting higher, and the heist more and more improbable: They're making fun of these types of movies! And it's done sharply and stylishly. If you're disappointed that the movie didn't give you more, you completely missed the point. Yet, the movie was directed right at you.
Some people need to realize that movies shouldn't always be pretentious and with a sense of moral urgency. Sometimes it's fun just to watch guys being cool; cool for no reason. Add on top of that the fact that we (should) know that Clooney and Pitt are self-referentially making fun of the whole bit, it only makes it that much better. Why do you think Pitt is always trying to 'teach' people to be cool, or Clooney pokes holes into Pitt's facade? Just to have fun with it.
Complaining about this movie's lack ingenuity or believability is like complaining about animals in the Lion King talking. Suspend some disbelief, and enjoy the experience of watching a movie that puts down the mantle of self-rightiousness, and dares to ask the question: "How do you get a large group of Oscar caliber actors to share the same movie?" (which seems to be harder than the heist pulled off in the movie) The answer, of course, is let them have fun.
For any of you needing a deeper intellectual fabric, you need to start taking some lessons from Pitt.