"KEEP BUSTIN'."

Ocean’s 8

Before seing INCREDIBLES 2 and JURASSIC’S 5 I wanted to catch up with OCEAN’S 8. It’s that all star ensemble heist movie that came out in theaters a month ago. I know whatever conversation there was has already died off, but I wanted to see it.

Debbie Ocean, who kind of looks like Michael Jackson and is played by Sandra Bullock (SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL), gets out on parole with nothing but forty-some dollars, a glittery party dress and a master plan for stealing millions of dollars worth of jewelry. So she’s in good spirits. Plying her trade of theft and scams she gets herself a fancy hotel room and amenities (the fancy lady’s version of Porter building himself back up from nothing at the beginning of PAYBACK) and then goes to find her old partner Lou (Cate Blanchett, HANNA). Lou claims to have not known she was in prison, just thought she changed her number, and she says it so dryly I didn’t know at first if she was joking. I like these two.

Much like OCEAN’S ELEVEN, we get to meet the Mission: Impossible team of heisters in their regular lives as the two go around recruiting them. They rescue jewelry expert Amita (Mindy Kaling, A WRINKLE IN TIME) from working for her mom and Tammy (Sarah Paulson, THE SPIRIT) from suburban boredom. They hire hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna, BRING IT ON: ALL OR NOTHING) and three-card-monty hustler/pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina, CRAZY RICH ASIANS). Most crucially they trick movie star and soon-to-be Met Gala host Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway, HOODWINKED!) into hiring past-her-prime former fashion design legend Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter, PLANET OF THE APES) who they’ve gotten in on a scheme to get Kluger to wear a ridiculously valuable Cartier necklace that would otherwise be in a vault.

from The Hollywood Reporter

The big difference between this and OCEAN’Ses ELEVEN, TWELVE and THIRTEEN, obviously, is that Steven Soderbergh is only a producer. Director Gary Ross wrote BIG and MR. BASEBALL and DAVE and etc. and wrote and directed PLEASANTVILLE, SEABISCUIT, THE HUNGER GAMES and THE FREE STATE OF JONES. He’s had a long friendship with Soderbergh, who produced PLEASANTVILLE and even did him the favor of directing second unit for THE HUNGER GAMES, so it makes sense that he ended up doing this one. He wrote the screenplay with Olivia Milch, who directed a movie called DUDE starring Awkwafina, and is currently attached to write the BARBIE movie starring Hathaway.

It’s not a remake or reboot. There are connections to characters from the previous movies, including that Debbie is Danny Ocean’s sister. They say that Danny’s dead, but everyone seems only about 98% convinced that it’s true. My only problem with this is that SPOILER? it made me keep thinking he was gonna show up at the end, which is not the case. I think they’re just using the drama of Debbie dealing with the memory of her brother without denying the obvious possibility of them bringing the character back some day if those guys get nostalgic. I mean, they could do OCEAN’S 9 and 10 with Debbie, then unite members of both casts for OCEAN’S FOURTEEN. Or even OCEANS FOURTEEN (no apostrophe) where there’s a whole team of Danny and Debbie Ocean and their relatives.

(By the way, is it fair that the “based on characters by” goes to George Clayton Johnson and Jack Golden Russell of the original Frank Sinatra movie rather than Ted Griffin, who wrote the one with the characters these are connected to? I guess they did make up the name “Danny Ocean.”)

My biggest complaint with the movie is not a big one – it’s that maybe they do too good of a job of mimicking Soderbergh’s movies rather than establishing a separate identity. I mean, it doesn’t look as stylish as his, but it very much captures their playful, ten-steps-ahead-of-everybody-else fun, with the team having ridiculously clever workarounds for every hitch that comes up in their already ridiculously clever plan. And composer Daniel Pemberton (of THE COUNSELOR, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., MOLLY’S GAME and KING ARTHUR: THE LEGEND OF THE SWORD [honestly a great and under-recognized score]) does a good job working in the funky, eclectic vein of David Holmes.

I have this thing that I kinda forget Sandra Bullock is good until I see another one of her movies. Maybe it’s residual suspicions about her falling on her ass and being cured of racism in CRASH, or maybe it’s a snobbishness toward the type of comedies she’s been most successful with. It’s not fair because I should consider her an action icon just for SPEED and DEMOLITION MAN, and I thought she was great in GRAVITY, and I love her in THE HEAT.

I’m not into Rihanna’s music, but she has a great presence in movies (BATTLESHIP, VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS), and this is no exception. Awkwafina I guess is a rapper who I never heard of, but she’s my favorite in the movie, a sort of inscrutable weirdo who reminds me of some of the characters in STEP UP 2 and 3.

(Update: I’m listening to one of her albums now and she just bragged about watching A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN on laser disc. I’m into it.)

One odd thing about OCEAN’S 8 that I’m pretty sure no one else has picked up on is that the cast is mostly women. You don’t always get that, in my opinion. Debbie rejects one of Lou’s suggestions for the team because “he’s a he,” but otherwise gender is never discussed, and it’s not about fighting against sexism or even being underestimated. But comparing the elements of ELEVEN and 8 you can see a difference. Both have their Ocean secretly motivated by a relationship gone bad. In Danny’s case he’s getting revenge on the guy who “stole” his girlfriend, and also trying to “win” her back. In Debbie’s case the blame is placed squarely on the ex who screwed her over (Richard Armitage, THE HOBBIT trilogy), not some other woman, and he’s gonna get his not by losing money and a woman but by taking the fall.

More importantly there’s a masculine/feminine contrast to the venues of their scores. You couldn’t name many places more bro-y than Danny’s playground of Las Vegas, land of showgirls, prostitutes, “what happens in Vegas,” cigars, boxing matches and the adrenaline high of slapping your dick on the table in the form of money that you are likely to lose but take the risk because either you’re addicted to the thrill or you’re too rich for it to matter. It’s all glitz and outlandish opulence designed to lure you in and take your money. It’s gross and it’s fun.

The Met Gala is in some ways the opposite. It’s not a moneysucking enterprise run by organized crime, it’s an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, and it’s built around creativity, as it’s mainly known as an event where celebrities compete for the most attention-getting clothing based around the theme of that year’s costume exhibit.

This is where the parallels come in: the event has become a sign of status for celebrities and rich people. This year’s guests for the real event included Jared Leto, Donald Glover, Selena Gomez, Chadwick Boseman, Jaden Smith, Madonna, and various Kardashians and Jenners. I like some of those people, but Tina Fey once said “if you had a million arms and all the people you would punch in the whole world, they’re all there.” Former WWE villain Donald Trump proposed to his third wife Melania at the Gala in 2004.

The New York Times called the yearly event “the gold standard of parties” and “the ultimate global celebrity/power cocktail” and says it’s known as “Oscars of the East Coast,” which they parenthetically explain is “mostly because of the star quotient and the elaborate red carpet, where guests pose on the grand entrance stairs to the museum.” They say that tickets this year were $30,000 each and tables about $275,000. I’m not sure if that includes processing fees, shipping & handling and all that. But not everybody buys a ticket – they also invite hot new fashion designers as guests, and clothing brands will get celebrities to sit at their tables to promote their shit.

But there’s even more elitism to it than that: “Unlike other cultural fund-raisers, like the New York City Ballet gala or the Frick Collection Young Fellows Ball, the Met gala is invitation only, and there is a waiting list. Qualifications for inclusion have to do with buzz and achievement (and beauty), a.k.a. the gospel according to Anna, more than money. Ms. Wintour has final say over every invitation and attendee, which means that even if a company buys a table, it cannot choose everyone who sits at its table: It must clear the guest with her and Vogue and pray for approval.”

Just like the Bellagio in ELEVEN, this required some cooperation with the real organization. There are brief sightings of famous people like Kim Kardashian-West, and it plays with celebrity in an odd way: Hathaway and Dakota Fanning play fictional movie stars, while Katie Holmes appears as herself. The real Rihanna has attended many times, co-chairing this year and famously wearing a pope hat, but her character seems out of place there and mostly stays in the van. All this reminds me of the scene in ELEVEN where Topher Grace, playing himself, is mobbed by adoring fans who ignore Brad Pitt, playing a character, standing next to him.

I think that each Ocean’s choice of mark acknowledges the silliness of excessive wealth. They don’t mind robbing them because it’s not gonna ruin their lives, and it’s kinda fun to make them upset, like some uptight dean in a frat comedy. But at the same time the Oceans and their numbers also clearly enjoy dressing up and taking part in that lifestyle. And, I mean, their goal is to steal millions of dollars. They’re not trying to work for a living.

OCEAN’S EIGHT is more of an OCEAN’S sequel than I expected, less of a reinvention, but as someone who enjoys those and is happy to see one with a fresh new cast, it’s a good time at the movies.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2018 at 11:18 am and is filed under Comedy/Laffs, Crime, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

15 Responses to “Ocean’s 8”

  1. I believe that the processing fees, shipping and handling are an extra $7.50, bit steep if you ask me.

    Quite enjoyed this as enjoyably forgettable but undeniably fun fluff. Like Oceans 11 & 13.

  2. I recently ran the Oceans series, and they’re such effortlessly enjoyable films. Soderbergh’s direction is stylish but also light as air. I’m not certain of his process, but it always looks like he’s not one to overly plan each scene.

    I’m all for these lady Oceans movies even if I’m waiting for home viewing for the latest entry.

  3. I was actually surprised that it did so well at the box office. It seemed like nobody was talking about that movie the week it started. Even the “Waaaah, they put femnoids on my multiplex screens!” crowds seemed to be surprisingly silent. (They probably only half-ass their hate when there aren’t any starships in it.)

  4. The ‘Ew icky, icky gurlz…’ crowd were silent because they never made OCEAN’S ELEVEN PJs in the ’80s (or ’90s).

  5. SPOILERS:

    I thought this was OK, the cast carried it – but that was always gonna be the case.

    I’ve already forgot the exact details but I remember thinking that the scheme made no sense, even by the standards of these movies. Maybe I missed something but how would they pin it on Armitage if he was on CCTV at the table the whole time – especially as Ocean was blase about being at the event because she would be on film the whole time – cos surely that applies to Richard as well?

    I think he kinda needed to be going to the loo at the same time, and thereby be out of camera range for a bit, for it to work. It feels like nitpicking but the scheme just wasn’t satisfying in the way the previous movies were, even if they had to get as silly as having Julia Roberts impersonate herself to keep it interesting. I can’t see how Anne wouldn’t be in the frame, and surely Richard’s defence lawyer would just say ‘she stole it somehow and then she put it in my house’ and then the judge would go ‘yeah that seems obvious, case dismissed’.

    The other slight disappointment to me was the pacing whenever they remembered they had to actually do the plot stuff around all the (good, fun) cast banter. There’s such an awkward scene where Cate confronts Sandra about her personal motives – that doesn’t have much bearing on anything – and you know they had to shove it in cos every Oceans movie needs a reveal that its somehow personal. And also the MET gala is always offbeat and wacky – and you’d think ripe for cinematic parody or whatever – but they really did nothing with it, and the costumes IRL are much funnier and stranger most of the time – you’d have thought it’d be a dream assignment for a costume or production designer – so I was a bit let down by it.

    But anyway, I did have complaints but I’m not even mad because the cast were great, incredible to be reminded of how brilliant a comic actress Anne is, she’s absolutely the highlight of this one for me. I’d love to see a sequel with an expanded cast but, i dunno, i’d hope the behind-the-scenes guys would do more than the absolute minimum if they got another shot.

  6. It’s light and at least consistent. I have the same issue with this that I have with the other Ocean’s movies: The story couldn’t exist without the starpower, because then everyone would realize that it’s about nothing. They need to steal a diamond necklace and get super rich, or else… I don’t even know. Gimme some stakes beyond Awkwafina wanting a metro pass.

  7. When I rewatched the Oceans movies earlier this year, I actually found the low stakes refreshing. After years of superhero movies where the villain is increasingly trying to destroy more an more people until the entire universe is in danger, it was nice to see a film where the premise is basically, Hey look at these good-looking celebrities having a good time!

  8. I’m a bit scandalised that Miss Congeniality isn’t mentioned by name in this review here!

  9. It is strange how selective the redpill audience are with their war on female leads. However I have to be honest, I think progressives can be a little myopic on this matter too. Why does a film like EQUITY, which I honestly thought was pretty bad as drama but nonetheless represents significant progress in how women are portrayed in respect of a real-life industry in which they are under-represented (and was written and directed by women), get no attention whereas a fairly bland corporate extension like GHOSTBUSTERS is treated as an aspirational monolith? OK, it’s partly a retaliatory matter, that’s fair. And I admit that, as a man who has had a sometimes challenging but fairly comfortable existence, there are probably parts to this equation I’m missing. Maybe it’s more important for women to be represented positively in even a bland blockbuster than it is an ambitious niche drama. But there was a time, not so long ago, that a film like EQUITY could have been at least a moderate hit. It does even extend to mainstream fare; there will probably be a civil war if Spielberg’s “Indiana Jane” comes to pass, even though that’s basically Lara Croft (yes, yes, not in quality) and the latest TOMB RAIDER (which toned down the male gawp factor of the earlier films and games) got little more than a shrug.

  10. The Undefeated Gaul

    July 6th, 2018 at 5:22 am

    Haven’t seen this, but wanted to say I fully agree on the KING ARTHUR LEGEND OF THE SWORD score being great (especially The Born King track). I’ve been trying to convince people of this (also that the actual film is a lot of fun) but have not had much success.

  11. The Undefeated Gaul

    July 6th, 2018 at 5:26 am

    I have the same problem with KINGSMAN THE GOLDEN CIRCLE btw. Keep saying it’s got a fantastic score and that the film is great fun – yet nobody believes me!

  12. There’s an interesting age-related thing going on here too. Clooney and Pitt were both in their early forties when they made OCEAN’S ELEVEN, but that was in 2001. Sandra Bullock is, famously, Clooney’s own age (she’s actually 3 years younger), and Cate Blanchett will be 50 next year. And yet here they are not playing grandmothers!

    As to MISS CONGENIALITY I would suggest that it’s the perfect in flight movie, and I don’t mean that as a negative.

  13. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Ultimately it felt like more of an Italian Job (remake) than an Oceans movie. A lot of telling then showing what you just told me. Padt of my bias is that I genuinely love the Soderbergh 11 flick and how it was told, and parts of this felt like imitation. (Well done imitation, mind you) and it felt a little off.

    But Blanchett was by far the most interesting character and barely had anything to do.

    Also, and I apologize for not remembering who said it (I think Amy Miller) as well as not doing it justice, but a comedian on Doug Loves Movies said how she really enjoyed the movie, but it still shows the gender gap because one of the main characters actually had to go to a job interview and gain employment in order for the heist to succeed.

    Again, i cant do it justice.

  14. PAC: I agree. Not just TOMB RAIDER, but also PROUD MARY and BREAKING IN were ignored by that group too. I’d argue OCEAN’S 8 was mostly as well because, a month later, it still feels like a low key affair.

    Is it because all those movies aren’t what the current hotness is (superhero/special effects spectacle movies) so they’re not worth talking about or going to bat for?

    Reminds me of the race-bending movement. A very noble cause to bring light to unfair/racist casting practices but in the end they mostly bitch about nerd shit instead of promoting POC art and artists.

  15. Pacman: movies like GHOSTBUSTER are hailed as accomplishments over ones like EQUITY because GHOSTBUSTERS doesn’t hinge on them being women. It’s just a movie that has women in it. EQUITY is a movie specifically about being a woman in a certain set of circumstances. The quality of the movies aren’t a factor.

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