Resting On Laurels

Rating: 2/10 (11 February 2005)

"Why couldn't they have left well enough alone?" will be the comment made after you see this sequel to the highly popular and fantastic Oceans 11 (which in itself was a re-make of a classic).
O12 suffers from a plot that tries to incorporate twists to make it more captivating and intelligent but instead makes it feel convoluted and downright dull in places. The biggest letdown is that the final twist becomes patently obvious early on in the movie, thus defeating its intended impact and making O12 end with all the impact of a damp squib.
An overly long feature length does not help matters and one gets the feeling that O12 could have been much more enjoyable had it been clipped down by about 30 minutes or so.
O12 is saved in part by some scenes - notably the one in Rome where a good spoof of Julia Roberts played by none other than Julia Roberts lifts it somewhat - but overall, O12 remains a movie with a plodding pace and one that is a shadow of its brilliant predecessor.
The chemistry among the players still exists but seems to have been swallowed up wholesale by the length of the film such that much of the sparkle and sizzle that is found in Oceans 11 is missing.
The shame is that O12 is a fundamentally good idea that is let down by poor execution. Simply put, it could - and should - have been so much better.
If they are ever planning a sequel to this one (and why wouldn't they, just to rake in more $$$?), it had better be much better put together.