Connect The Invisible Dots?!

Rating: 4/10 (30 April 2005)

I have said it time and time again that no matter what kind of a cast you have, if the story isn't there, neither will be the movie. "Ocean's Twelve" definitely has the cast (Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, etc.) and while it does have some story, it falls way short of its casting achievements. In a sense, there is little equilibrium between actors and the plot, which later just makes you wonder if you can get people to go to the theaters just by mustering up an incredible amount of star power...? Answer: yes.
"Ocean's Twelve" picks up where "Ocean's Eleven" left off, with Daniel Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew trying to enjoy the fruits of their ill-gotten labors. Unfortunately, a competitor-thief (The Night Fox) has tipped off Andy Garcia to the whereabouts of Daniel and his crew and now Andy wants his money back, plus interest. The criminals work out a plan to repay the money but things begin to go awry when a former girlfriend and detective picks up on their trail (Catherine Zeta-Jones). A challenge is made by the Night Fox in which he will pay the price on their heads if they can steal a priceless egg. It's sort of a "whoever is the best thief wins" type of thing.
While this is an entertaining enough story, its contents are jumbled together straight from the opening. There is no clear succession in the film's plot and with so many characters, it jumps around quite often. It also feels like many pieces are missing and makes the viewer feel that either the film is lacking in discussion or that the audience consists of a bunch of dolts. Other aspects don't make any sense at all even from a Hollywood perspective (unless of course this was some dry satire). You'll be asking yourself plenty of questions as to the possibility of the ending, which to save you some breath and frustration, I will tell you that is next to impossible and furthermore isn't worth spinning your wheels on. I can understand why the behind-the-scenes interviews all came back with the cast saying they had an incredibly fun time making this film. I just wish the audience could say the same thing regarding watching it. 4/10