Fizzy

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2002)

Shows how easily intelligent direction, great cinematography, and bona-fide star power can redeem what could have been a stale heist genre exercise. The mechanics of the heist and the love story -between George Clooney and the snappy, dazzling Julia Roberts- are preposterous but Soderbergh is more interested in dialogue, cool(not hip, but genuine cool), and elevation/subversion of the mainstream aesthetic than airtight storytelling. Good choice, it turns out, as we get to witness Brad Pitt, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia and others riff on familiar "dirty dozen" type setups and fashion memorable characters out of just a few minutes of screentime each. An imminently forgettable good time. 8.5/10