A little less conversation, a little more action please

Rating: Null/10 (12 December 2004)

Since he claims he's the only guy who had no fun while making "Ocean's 11," Steve Soderbergh must have done this sequel either:
A) For the money. Lots of money. B) Because his actor buddies begged him to. C) Because the first one was so successful he'd be allowed to do anything he wanted with a sequel.
I'm voting for "C". He must have said under his breath: "Well, I'm doing a sequel but I'm damn sure not making the same movie over again."
And you've got to respect that, even if it means a not-as-great final product. This one is a lot of fun but totally forgettable, where the first one was a lot of fun and you couldn't stop thinking about it (probably because it was about one possible scam instead of half a dozen impossible ones). Either flick is worth the price of a ticket - you'll never know whether or not you'll like 'em by reading other people's comments. Even though they are "conventional movies," they don't lend themselves to conventional analysis. They're like those awful "star-studded" TV movies from the 70's - except extremely well executed by seriously talented filmmakers.
This movie is not about master thieves; it's about cool and in-jokes and about watching really really famous, really really rich and attractive people having a great time together. The only person who actually gives a performance in "Ocean's 12" is Catherine Zeta-Jones and all I could think was: "Cathy! I know that's Steve over there but this is not 'Traffic'! Get yourself a cocktail before the next take and get with the program!"