Like Wrapping Junk in Christmas Paper

Rating: 6/10 (29 July 2002)

What was it that seduced critics and audiences into believing this is a good movie? Was it the star-studded cast? The slick film and sound editing? The sometimes clever dialogue and genuinely clever pickpocket routines by Matt Damon? The fine performances by Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia and the eccentric one by Don Cheadle? Steven Soderberg's overblown reputation? Tell me, I want to know, because `Oceans Eleven' is not a particularly good movie.
WARNING: SPOILERS
1. Julia Roberts and George Clooney have ZERO chemistry. 2. How does Clooney know WHOM Andy Garcia will hire to beat him up? 3. EMP bombs are forever. Electric circuits would NOT be restored in less than a minute and people in hospital surgeries and emergency would probably die. (How slick is THAT?) 4. These guys made the theft of the EMP bomb look routine. It would probably be as difficult as getting into the casino safe. 5. Andy Garcia would be the LEAST of these guys' problems. NSA would be VERY interested in some who stole and discharged an EMP bomb in a major American city. 6. The Mormon twins were such bumbling clowns they would have been caught in a week. 7. What's this with Reiner's apparent medical problems? Was he REHEASING for the heart attack? 8. These guys gloated too much. Had they pulled this thing off like `The Sting,' they might have gotten away with it. (The ending makes it fairly clear they didn't). Their talents would make them easy to track down (creating a sequel that would more likely to be SICK than SLICK). 8. What KIND of credit is `And introducing Julia Roberts as Tess'? Roberts is the highest paid and most successful of ALL these people.
`Oceans Eleven' is the filmatic equivalent of wrapping junk in Christmas paper. I give it a `6'.