Hits the jackpot!

Rating: Null/10 (3 December 2001)

By C.J. Cauley
The city of Newport, Kentucky played host to the very first theater screening of the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven. While Frank Sinatra starred in the film's predecessor in 1960, Kentucky native, George Clooney, takes the helm this time around. The premiere was a red carpet event with Johnny Bench, Marty Brennaman and other local Cincinnati celebrities basking in the limelight. The highlight of the event was the hosts, George's parents, Nick and Nina Clooney. Nick Clooney is one of the most recognizable celebrities in Cincinnati, having been a newscaster there for many years and currently hosting his own radio show. Nina quipped "I used to be known as Nick Clooney's wife, now I'm known as George Clooney's mom." Not a bad gig if you can get it. The couple were absolutely beaming about their son's latest premiere and I soon found out it was with good reason.
When his elders stepped out of the theater to prepare for their trip to Los Angeles for the official premiere, the younger Clooney stepped on screen as Danny Ocean. Recently paroled after four years in prison, Ocean sets out to gather up some old partners in crime to pull off the perfect heist: rob a vault that contains over $160 million from three different casinos. Hustlers, con men and pickpockets come together with experts in surveillance, electronics and explosives. At the center of the conspiracy are Ocean and his best friend, Dusty Ryan, played by Brad Pitt. All together, they add up to eleven which was about six too many. When you have that many people in that short amount of time you don't really get a chance to know them or care about them which is unfortunate because they are quite the group of misfits. The criminals included everyone from relative newcomers Casey Affleck and Scott Caan to phenomenal talent like Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and the legendary Carl Reiner.
Andy Garcia plays Harry Benedict, also known as the bad guy. One of the richest men in Las Vegas, he owns the three casinos in question. To top it all off, he is dating Ocean's ex-wife, Tess, played by Julia Roberts. Clooney is out to win her back and put Benedict in his place in the process. Roberts was believable as Clooney's love interest but he was not believable as hers. While she made goo-goo eyes at him, he stared at her more like a little sister. It was the only part of Clooney's performance that I didn't buy. Garcia, however, played the fuming, jealous lover to a tee. The resident pickpocket, Linus Caldwell, played by Damon, was the newest and seemingly untrusted member of the group. This was touched on only briefly, however, because the two hour time limit was not enough to expound on this part of the story. I also found it odd that 37-year-old Pitt referred to 31-year-old Damon as the "kid." The real kids were the Malloy twins played by Affleck and Caan. While they also offered some comedy relief, it was the cast's two older entries who turned out to be it's best. Elliot Gould shines as the financial backer of this band of would-be thieves and Carl Reiner is fantastic as the Saul Bloom, the grandfather of the group.
Pitt gave his usual two-dimensional performance but the chemistry he had with Clooney made up for a lot of that. They played off each other with excellent comedic timing. Clooney gave an excellent performance even though it wasn't much of a stretch from previous roles like that in the Peacemaker or Out of Sight. There will be no Oscar nominations for acting in the future for Ocean's Eleven but the large ensemble cast will not leave you disappointed. Their quick quips amuse throughout. One scene between Damon and Bernie Mac and another with cameos by TV heartthrobs including Joshua Jackson and Topher Grace are highlights of the flick. Unfortunately, Roberts is the only female in the cast, aside from a cameo by Holly Marie Combs as herself. But, it was great to see that the current Ocean's Eleven is lacking the disgusting misogynist tone set by Sinatra and his rat pack friends in the 60s version. Back then the women were 'dames,' they were an annoyance and worst of all, pushovers. No such ridiculous stereotypes rear their ugly heads in this pleasantly updated version. Despite the time restraints that restricted the storyline, Ocean's Eleven really hits the jackpot.