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"Ocean's 11"
(Reviewed November 17, 2001)
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Great God, what a colossal disappointment! As I watched this slow, slow, sloooooooow movie stumble blandly toward its inevitable conclusion, I was reminded of the 1980s movie "Mac and Me." Which
is kind of funny, because I never saw that earlier film, but keep reading and all will be made clear.
"Mac and Me" was a film bankrolled by McDonald's, the fast-food folks. From what I read at the time of its release, it was a cheap-'n'-cheesy ripoff of "E.T."--except in this version, the alien
had a constant craving for McDonald's french fries, which kept the action returning to McDonald's restaurants (I use the term very loosely) to hammer home the brand name.
Similarly, "Ocean's 11" plays like it could have been a tossed-off quickie piece of junk financed by the Bellagio Hotel for publicity purposes. Absolutely none of the principals involved brings
anything entertaining to the proceedings. Everybody is just going throught the motions of a nothing-special heist movie.
Director Soderbergh and star George Clooney, who worked together on the really good "Out of Sight" crime caper a couple of years ago, bring none of the style or magic or charm of that movie
to "Ocean's 11." Julia Roberts never has appealed to me, and still doesn't. The usually reliable Brad Pitt, one of the best actors of his generation, is so underutilized in "Ocean's 11" that his role ends up
being a glorified cameo. Matt Damon seems to have wandered in from another movie and never quite fits in. Don Cheadle assays a silly Rasta-man accent. Ho-hum.
I went into this movie with really high hopes, and was stunned at how pedestrian and pointless it was. The hype machine is going full blast to promote this turkey, calling it a fun ensemble piece
full of more stars than there are in the heavens. The truth is that it is a lifeless lump.
I spit on this "Ocean."
Back Row Grade: F
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