Are You With Us?: Ocean's Eleven
By Ryan Mazie
December 5, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Ocean’s Eleven was made in 1960 as an excuse for Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack buddies to hang out in Las Vegas and get paid for it, producing a lucratively entertaining but weak scripted film. But does the 2001 remake have that much of a different motive underlying it? Not really.
However, with a smart script and relaxed vibe, Ocean’s Eleven 2001 overcomes the original’s sometimes lackadaisical qualities and makes the film a lark for the audience as well as the cast.
The plot is simple, but the mission is difficult. Fresh out of jail, Danny Ocean (George Clooney, the only character to keep the same name from the original), hatches a harebrained scheme to rob three Las Vegas casinos in one night for a haul of $150 million.
Stylish and sexy, the air-headed lightness that director Steven Soderbergh (who got a little more mainstream this year with the A-list cast of Contagion) brings to the film balances the elaborate heist scheme, making it sound just crazy enough to work.
What I liked best about Ocean’s Eleven was its comedic tone that gives it an unusual quality within the serious heist genre. This works well with the glitz and glam of the flashing, bright lights city of Las Vegas.
Attempting to rob $150 million, that is probably not too far off from how much the film would have cost if the $20 million-a-picture commanding friends didn’t agree to work on some type of scale. Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, and Julia Roberts are just some of the names that drew in the audience.
Released when star power still reigned supreme, Ocean’s crew stole the number one spot with a healthy $38.1 million, ($53.6 million today). With long legs throughout the Holiday season, Ocean’s Eleven ended up with $183.4 million ($255.3 million adjusted) against an $85 million budget. The marquee names helped boost foreign grosses that raked in an additional $267.3 million.
After the movie was over, I, like most others, were eager to see the crew pull off another heist, while the box office take allowed for another sequel to be commissioned. Turns out movies about robbing vaults put a good loot of money into Warner Bros vault.
Critics gave the film kudos too, earning a rave 85% amongst top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. While noting the popcorn entertainment it provides, the main reason for the film’s success were the actors.
Ocean’s Eleven would definitely be among the top tier of my picks for all-time best casts. The chummy vibe among the stars is palpable, giving the movie a spontaneous, off-the-cuff feel that helps propel the sometimes-clunky dialogue and scenes more engaging than they really deserve to be.
While Clooney and Pitt can’t replace Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in their respective roles, they don’t come close to embarrassing themselves at the same time. Clooney is suave and collected, never raising his voice, even when things start falling apart. Pitt, who I found to be the most enjoyable character as Ocean’s second-hand man/strategist, has droll commentary that livens up the moment.
Scripted by Tower Heist’s Ted Griffin (but also credited to the four others who wrote the original), the first half of the near two-hour film is largely procedural. More show than tell, it isn’t until the actual heist at the end where things start truly getting memorable. While I certainly enjoyed the beginning, everything seemed by the numbers compared to the much looser last hour. However, the emphasis on procedure may be due to the lack of a villain. While Andy Garcia is intimidating as the head honcho of the Bellagio Casino, he is really only doing his job. Sure he is sleeping with Danny’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts making the most out of the little she is given to do), but Garcia never plays the part scummy enough to make him despicable compared to Danny as a thief.
I think that is why I enjoyed Ocean’s Thirteen the most, given the antagonist role played by a swarmy Pacino ,who actually comes off as formidable adversary compared to Clooney’s Ocean.
Exactly three years later after Ocean’s Eleven the stars realigned again for Ocean’s Twelve. However, the sequel was a turkey. Like the original Ocean’s Eleven, they had the talent, but forgot to pack a script. Making a significant amount less than the first film, Warner Bros still saw enough profit to commission another. Ocean’s Thirteen movie came out in 2007 but had a summer release date. Reverting back to the fun of the first, Thirteen had better legs than the previous one (impressive given its non-holiday release), but made a bit less because of the bitter taste left from the sequel.
However, the return to form made many, including myself, clamor for more. While the franchise is not dead, it does seem dormant for the time being. Smartly casting tried-and-true stars, not flavors of the month like New Year’s Eve, the line-up of Ocean’s Eleven is still impressive to today’s audiences.
Pitt’s Rusty Ryan has a hilarious trait of snacking in every scene, because obviously a thief has no time to have a healthy meal. However, junk food has a way of being just as filling as a nutritional meal every now and again. While Steven Soderbergh’s films usually are the fruits and vegetables of the art house film world, his Ocean’s Eleven makes sugary perfection just as satisfying.
Verdict: With Us
8 out of 10