Second verse pretty much same as the first

Rating: 7/10 (11 December 2004)

I thought Ocean's Eleven (the 2001 version) was a nice piece of star-studded fluff, basically lighthearted fun. I didn't really get into the movie until I had been to Vegas, however, and now I enjoy it quite a bit. I've also become fonder of some of the actors involved in the film (most notably Mssrs Pitt and Damon), so I looked forward to this heist film a little more than I did the first.
Ocean's Twelve is pretty much second verse, same as the first  which is fine, if that's what you're in the market for. The same easy camaraderie, the same joking between pals, the same clever set ups and the same bit with fooling the audience toward the middle of the film. It all follows the first film with some minor variations, which is exactly what most people want and indeed expect in a sequel.
Clooney is back as the charismatic leader of the group of thieves (who balk in a very funny scene at being referred to as 'Ocean's Eleven') who find themselves with not one nemesis in this film, but three; not only is Andy Garcia back as Terry Benedict (in a far smaller role), but Danny and the gang must contend with a 'Europol' officer out to get them, one Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta-Jones) as well as competing with a fellow thief, the Nightfox (Vincent Cassel, playing, as he usually does, another smarmy prick). The entire crew returns  Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, etc., and there's even a sort of extended cameo for Julia Roberts.
The good times roll with the gang as we get to see how each of them is spending his part of the fortune pilfered in the first movie as, one by one, Benedict tracks them down. The reunion happens fairly quickly and most of the best scenes in the film involves the group all gathered together, where everyone is bitching at one another playfully, jibing one another, and throwing out ideas. These scenes have a wonderful ad-libbed quality to them, and they carry the first hour or so of the picture, from the moment everyone realizes they're in trouble to the time they pull off their first heist together. The first hour is a pure fun treat.
It's in the second hour that Ocean's Twelve wanders a bit astray. Not content with another heist, the plot puts them in competition with uber-Europrick Nightfox, who is rich, well connected, an amazing thief, etc. This whole part felt a tad contrived, and while the planning of the second heist is fun, the actual execution of it is painful. Julia Roberts comes in for a subplot so stupid and silly it seems lifted from a Wayans Brothers spoof of the genre, complete with ham-handed acting and a wholly unnecessary cameo by Bruce Willis (Pitt, Clooney, Roberts, Damon, Zeta-Jones  you don't have enough star power already?). The movie temporarily descends into pratfall comedy, away from the clever verbal jabs and situational shorthand it employed so effectively until then. It sort of recovers, but not entirely, and the movie feels a little shabby afterward (not a help that Roberts and Clooney come off as smarmy in the final confrontation with Cassel).
The acting is by and large fine. Clooney takes a smaller role but he's still good. Pitt's character is deepened a little even though he too seems to have less screen time than the first one. Elliot Gould is exceedingly sharp; a lot of his one-liners are incredibly funny. Carl Reiner isn't around enough, but when he is, he's hysterical. Damon has to shoulder a lot of the load and he does so very well, playing the nervous rookie perfectly. Roberts is okay, but I so thoroughly disliked what they did with her toward the end that it's hard for me to judge. A big surprise was how sharp Catherine Zeta-Jones was, and yet how well she fit in with this established group. Isabel was a welcome addition to the movie and is give a surprising amount of backstory and depth. She really stands out, which, even though she's the only woman in the bulk of the film, is still a real feat with this cast.
By and large the film is light fun, easy on the brain and the eyes, and a good fun time. Nothing especially deep, but that's never the intent. Aside from the one extended SNL-bad gig with Roberts, I would highly recommend it; that bad part was enough to make me say that it's still worth seeing, but you could maybe wait for the DVD. I don't care to be jarred out of a film so blatantly, especially one where a nice warm feeling of clever companionship had been so craftily composed in the first leg of the movie. But your mileage may vary. It's probably worth at least a matinée to see some of the biggest movie stars of the day having fun with one another.