Ocean's Eleven Doesn't Score!

Rating: 5/10 (9 December 2001)

Like me start off by saying I'm a fan of Steven Soderbergh. I think both "Erin Brockovich" & "Traffic" were two of the best films of 2000! But, "Ocean's Eleven", just didn't work for me. I didn't want to go see this film in the first place, but, a friend of mine dragged me to go see it. I admit, I did like it more than I expected, but, it's not something I would recommend that people I know should go see. "Ocean's Eleven" tries to keep the spirit of the original. It tries to stay loose and free-spirited. Witty, and intelligent. But, somewhere along the line, we're just not buying what it's selling. It tries to be serious and aloof whenever it feels like it. That's a mistake. There's an old saying that goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too! Make up your mind! Which way do you want this film to go? I don't mind if they wanted the film to be a fun, silly homage to the original, but don't try to get all serious on me! Like how the ending tries. The screenplay by Ted Griffin at times is sharp and funny. The character are not dumbed down. They know what they are doing, and they do it well. The acting between everyone however seems, sorta stiff. I didn't feel a connection between everyone on screen. I mean, I'm sure they had fun while making the movie, but that doesn't completely show on-screen. I didn't feel a lost romance between Clooney and Roberts at all. And it's like that for all the characters. Another problem I had with the film is, there are too, too many character, so many infact that no one has anything to work with! Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, Garcia, Damon, Cheadle, Gould, Reiner, Affleck, Mac, & Caan are all struggling for screen time. The so called "supporting" cast actually has just as much time as the supposed "stars" of the film. Carl Reiner, who is probably billed as the 20th person, actually has more screen time and a greater importance to the story then Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia,& Elliot Gould! Infact it's Reiner's, Gould's and Roberts' show all the way! That's right! Forget Clooney and Pitt. I had more fun watching Carl Reiner, then any of them. I would love to see him nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar, and believe it or not, but, that buzz is flying around. Elliot Gould is someone I enjoyed watching as well. These guys (Reiner and Gould) are such pros that, they don't need to seem over-pushy to steal scenes. They do it by remaining subtle. They may seem like they are doing very little, but, when the film is over, you'll probably remember them more then the other characters. As for Julia Roberts, well, I like for the obvious reasons. Plus she's the only female in the cast. But other wise, there's nothing here for her. For someone who's just won an Oscar, she's been playing very bland roles lately. This and "America's Sweethearts". The directing by Soderbergh admittedly does have it's moments. But, this film is just a walk in the park for everyone. This seems to be the reason why everyone likes this movie. To me, this is trying to turn a negative into a positive. I've seen much worst films this year, but, for all the hype to one got, I would of thought this would of turned out better. ** 1\2 out of ****