Ocean's Eleven Robots !

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2010)

It's the score this time. Not the scorers.
(Soderbergh) wanted the trust of the studio?, wanted to be a big player?, wanted to fulfill his own dreams by directing Hollywood dreams first? Whatever the reason was, the man delivered. But despite being loved or successful, the popcorn movie which he made was so unfunny and spiritless. Maybe it's (Soderbergh)'s real unconcern of the project's nature coming unconsciously on the surface. Maybe that's his very sense of humor. Or maybe he got a desire to insert something extra in a genre movie?!
With unceasing warm colors, so smooth editing and soothing, low tone, soundtracks, the movie's time managed to be anesthetic; like seeing everything through hued glass of many bottles of wines while being a bit drunk; which took a lot from the movie's supposed suspense.
Despite the considerable halo of coolness around the actors, I knew pretty little data about all of their characters, with no moving matters. So I couldn't care less. You must notice that they don't make mistakes either; the problems are always around them, not inside of them, which's surely inhuman, read: boring thing to attract any attention. Plus there was no interplay between them, or anything like it. To tell you the truth, it pushed me at times to think that (Soderbergh) was intending to show us the bad affect of the contemporary modernism on the human's relationships. Sometimes they're like actors with so insignificant material to do while the stars' charm does the rest. And sometime I believed that the insignificant material was silly, and the stars' charm was lost, rather speechless, amongst it.
It looks nice, but it doesn't feel the same, since there aren't that nice characters in the first place. I watched bunch of outwardly different replicants who work together for money. Well, at least the original movie, which many consider goofy in comparison, made them one band of friends who work for money, having some motives as well. Showing the whole gang scrutinizing their unspoken dreams while watching a dazzling fountain, celebrating silently their must-be-in-the-dark glory with Debussy's Clair de Lune playing in the background was well expressive moment, but nothing in the world can prevent me of convincing that it would've been more deep, emotional, and long-lived with an early glance over their actual dreams.
Save the idea of the lover thief who wants to get his love back and "hit" his rich opponent, nothing was human. I sensed a human breath in only 2 scenes (Clooney reunites with Roberts for the first time after going out of jail, and the one where Damon and Mac were bluffing Garcia). In fact, the cuteness and cleverness in them looked not present in all the rest. There were places that beg a witty line or gag, but nothing was done. And even the real *funny* gags were whether too cold, or too American to be followed.
For instance, in a second viewing, I discovered that every time we get to see (Pitt), he's having a snack. Is that funny? Maybe with other, real funny, situations it could've been smart touch. Because being as it is alone was poor, giving a feel that this cast was just enjoying a vacation in Vegas where they eat and hang out together while doing, and saying, nothing funny!
With another cast that would've been way less interesting. However, while the stiff personality suits the character played by (Andy Garcia) to be that scary, it was unfortunate that most of the rest looked the same under the name of coolness!
The absence of the A-list, star-studded, heist movie since the 60s's end and the 70s's start was part of the reason why this was a hit. Simply this kind was long-time missed. Plus I believe that its success opened the way during the whole 2000s for similar projects like The Italian Job (2003), Inside Man (2006), The Brothers Bloom (2008), let alone 2 (Ocean) sequels, to be made, returning the "Hollywood" heist to "Hollywood".
For me, I enjoyed part of the scheme, the good image, and the nostalgic, high class, soundtrack, but none of the characters. And with this outcome, it isn't a very good or finely memorable movie. It's only a good one to pass the time with.
Losing the interplay between the characters and their viewers is a calamity. So again, is it (Soderbergh)'s indifference? Is it just his dry fun? Or is it his own satire; where it becomes all about the score, taking the humanity out of its scorers as long as they do it right anyway? But even if that was the point; then this is the movie to display that, and to be an example for it in the same time too!
P.S: (Brad Pitt)'s voice and persona were so recognizable as the SWAT team's leader in the walkie-talkie. I have no idea why to blow up the movie's biggest twist prematurely as easy as this?!