Ocean's 8 light and breezy

Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett in Ocean's 8. Image courtesy Warner Bros.

A selling point for Ocean's 8 is the flippant nature of its tone. The movie rarely takes itself or its genuinely ridiculous story too seriously, maintaining the precise slight tone needed to carry a mildly convoluted heist movie. There isn't a ton of substance to this movie, but it works in large part because it doesn't feel the need to throw in points of great severity or interest. It’s a breezy summer comedy, and it is pretty good at being just that.

Ocean's 8 is technically a spin-off from the Ocean's 11 franchise started in 2001. This iteration stars Sandra Bullock as Danny Ocean’s sister Debbie, the eponymous lead of the band. Debbie is just out of prison and looking to pull off a big score, looping in her friend Lou (Cate Blanchett) to plan an epic heist at the upcoming Met Gala. The target is an impossibly valuable Cartier diamond necklace to be worn by actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), which requires a crack team (consisting of Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and Sarah Paulson) to figure out exactly how to steal a more than $100 million piece of jewelry amid a highly secured social event.

The plan they come up with is complicated and requires canny and expert timing to pull off, which follows the gist of the last three movies. The spirit of Danny Ocean, and by extension the recent Ocean's trilogy, looms over Ocean's 8. Although mentioning Debbie's relationship with Danny serves as a strong tie between franchises, making Danny Ocean a focal point for Debbie’s actions effectively undercuts any attempts at individuality for this movie. It's as if the filmmakers and producers were afraid Ocean's 8 would fail without some connection to Ocean's 11, so they hammered home the familial link as strongly as they could. It works as intended – the references to Danny, along with a couple of cameos, certainly tie the franchises together – but the cost is preventing Debbie and her movie from standing on their own. They are inextricably tied to a series neither Debbie nor her band of thieves were ever part of, their movie trapped by comparisons the filmmakers thrust upon themselves. 

  

What separates Ocean's 8 from Ocean's 11 is the coolness Steven Soderbergh's interpretation reveled in. That version just oozes cool, starting with the casting of George Clooney and Brad Pitt and extending to Soderbergh's aesthetics. Even if the plot was OK, the movie's panache made it worth watching. Ocean's 8 just doesn't have that touch. The casting has an effect on this – Bullock is great, but she doesn't have the same charm that Clooney has, and no one else on the cast can reach those heights. And director Gary Ross is no Soderbergh, unable to match Soderbergh's brilliant use of lighting and some basic camera tricks. Soderbergh films have a touch of flair and hint of lightness that show they clearly belong to Soderbergh. Ross seems to be a guy behind a camera, missing any sense of personality or true ownership of his movie. 

 

So cool is out in Ocean's 8. In its place is an abundance of chic and style, a sense of fashion the original movies implied but never owned. This is something that is a little more difficult to process. On the one hand, the fashion-heavy plot is a bit easy for a female-oriented film, sort of a cheap expectation. On the other hand, what is shown on screen mostly, and it is one of the major areas where Ocean's 8 deviates from Debbie's brother. Even if it isn't the most progressive plot point to take, the sartorial selections are eye-catching and provide the one real sense of uniqueness in an otherwise unoriginal premise.

At it's best, Ocean's 8 is a fun little caper film. The movie's heart is in the scenes leading up to the great theft, with the actresses spitballing off one another as they establish a sense of camaraderie, despite having known one another for less than three weeks. The banter is light and breezy – Ross isn't a great director, but he and co-writer Olivia Milch have some nice dialog – and Bullock, Blanchett, Rihanna, and company appear pretty comfortable with one another. The movie is funny and light, serving as a light break between superhero blockbusters. Ocean's 8 doesn't have the filmmaking chops of Ocean's 11, but like her brother's first heist 17 years ago, Debbie Ocean's caper is a pretty good time.

Review: Three and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 110 minutes

Genre: Action

Ask Away
Target audience: People who look at the movie poster and are at least OK with the actresses in it.

Take the whole family?: Aside from a little bad language, the content isn't problematic for kids. Most kids just won't be interested in watching this.

Theater or Netflix?: A matinee showing should be OK.

Watch this as well?: Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 remake isn't his best film, but it is cool, stylish, and filled with an unbelievable amount of swagger. For viewers with a taste for meatier caper movies, check out the great Sexy Beast.