I was really rooting for this one. A stylish heist movie starring an ensemble of top drawer actresses, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and more? This sounded so good on paper. Having finally seen it, the best thing I can say about "Ocean's Eight" is that it's not bad. It's competently scripted, decently directed, and there are a couple of good performances in the mix. And that's about it, which is very disappointing.
Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's" movies were never my favorites, but I appreciated their quality and their verve. There was this wonderful aura of effortless cool about them, which is completely missing in "Ocean's Eight." The actors are talented and charismatic enough to fake a lot of it, but can only do so much. The bones of this thing are pretty solid, at least. Sandra Bullock plays con-woman Debbie Ocean, fresh out of prison, who is the ringleader of the big heist. She and her partner Lou (Cate Blanchett) assemble a team of fellow grifters, thieves, and other charming crooks to help them steal a diamond necklace at the annual Met Gala. There's also a revenge element, involving Debbie's former beau Claude (Richard Armitage), who ratted her out and got her sent to the clink.
The film is at its worst when it's trying too hard to be an "Ocean's" movie. There's something about Gary Ross's direction that makes everything feel oddly sluggish. The editing choices seem a little off, and more than once I found attempts to ape Soderbergh's style came off pretty poorly. More damaging is the dialogue - or really, the absence of it. The witty banter that was a fundamental part of "Ocean's Eleven" is simply nowhere to be found. Instead, Debbie and Lou are pretty much all business, with some sparse bits of chit-chat to help fill in their personal histories. Frankly it's too sparse. Their partnership should be the core of this movie, but the relationship is woefully underdeveloped. I like Bullock and Blanchett together, but there's really very little there for them to work with beyond a few mild quips and bone dry humor. I still have no idea who Lou is, except that she runs cons, likes motorcycles, and can't keep her bangs out of her face.
So thank heavens for Anne Hathaway, who is far an away the best part of the movie. She plays Daphne Kluger, a superb caricature of a spoiled starlet, who the ladies have to con and maneuver so she'll wear the necklace to the gala. Hathaway gets to be unabashedly comedic, and looks like she's having so much fun doing it. Helena Bonham Carter also has a good turn as an eccentric fashion designer, and I liked Sarah Paulson's reluctant fence, even though she doesn't actually get to do much. The rest of the main players are stuck with very broad characters that are mostly on the sidelines - Mindy Kahling's jeweler, Rihanna's hacker, and Awkwafina's street hustler. They get about two significant scenes apiece, and they're perfectly fine, but there's nothing on par with the hijinks that the original "Ocean's" crew got to play.
Nobody skimped on the production, however. "Ocean's Eight" boasts plenty of gorgeous New York locales, wardrobe to die for, and the sparkly bling to match. Much of the action takes place in the Met, and involves lots of figures from the fashion and art worlds, with plenty of appropriate cameos. What action there is, is nicely choreographed, and the usual plot twists are all executed very well. As a heist film, "Ocean's Eight" checks all the boxes, and there's something to be said for the film happily avoiding all the usual cliches that usually come with girl power flicks. However, it's not nearly as exciting as it should be. And as an "Ocean's" film, there is much to be desired.
That said, I'd love an "Ocean's Nine" and an"Ocean's Ten." This is a fun group of actresses who are much better than the movie. With the right people behind the camera the next time around, I see no reason why they couldn't match up to Soderbergh's "Ocean's" trilogy. And thankfully "Ocean's Eight" has been well received enough that there will very likely be a next time.
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