Fun in Vegas

Rating: 7/10 (29 January 2010)

The usual suspects get together for "Ocean's Thirteen," the usual suspects being George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, and Andy Garcia. This time the villain of the piece is Al Pacino, as hotel mogul Willy Bank, who cheats the now-ill Reuben out of his share of the business. Danny wants to get Reuben what's his. Ellen Barkin plays Pacino's assistant. She's a "cougar." As usual, the gang's plan to bring down Bank is preposterous, filled with technological gimmicks, rigging all of the betting machines and the dice, etc., as they deal with worker problems at one of the manufacturers in Mexico. It's fun to see it come together. However, it's also a little confusing and nowhere near as entertaining as Ocean's Eleven. The best part of the film for me was the gang's efforts at destroying the stay of someone there to review the hotel (David Paymer) - hilarious.
What makes these films watchable is the terrific casts, even if they are just having a good time. And the movie star presence is mighty formidable.
Certainly entertaining and worth renting.