Ocean's Eight (2018)

An Exercise In Nonsense

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This movie does a great job on its own. It's not derivative, even though it pays homage to the original Ocean's trilogy, from the opening scene. But we realize right away that even though Debbie is as big a con as brother Danny, she's her own person. While there are similarities to the other movies, most are common to the genre at large. I loved the ambiguity about Danny's fate. I love the Debbie's and Daphne's character development- the latter being a bit of a surprise. I love the twists, and the drop-ins by unexpected characters. Just as Charlie Croker would have made John bridger proud with The Italian Job, Debbie would have made Danny proud with this job. Even if she didn't keep it simple. It's chock full of humor, including homage to the actresses and their past work. One reference to The Princess Diaries made my wife LOL, and we're still discussing whether the word was "eagle" as in the original, or "ego" which is even funnier. Speaking of which, Anne Hathaway is really funny as an egotistical bad actress.

I just wanted to write a positive review because I feel like this movie is getting way more negative comments than it requires. If you are looking for a movie to change your world. The kind of life affirming, revelation filled, traditional award nomination type then this is not it. But if you are just looking for harmless, feeling good entertainment for the best part of two hours then this might be for you. There are plenty of movies out there which are not perfect and do not challenge us to think too greatly but are still entertaining and I think this one falls quite nicely into that category. I left the theater having enjoyed it and feeling happy and relaxed. In this day and age when everyone is angry about everything I for one found that refreshing.

With an A-list female led cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway (along with a few others), you might assume that Ocean's 8 is a standout heist feature. Oddly enough, the best part of this movie, is the cast. I enjoyed the rapport between the actresses, as each had a very distinct role to play in the main narrative. The big swindle itself is a predictable, unrealistically executed stunt with little surprise value. The plot is simple, however the writing has several humorous lines and is surprisingly on point. So, if you can get over the unrealistic nature of the central heist and its lack of unpredictability, Ocean's 8 will otherwise charm with a superb female cast and sharp dialogue.

Complete lack of originality to try to convey the difference between movies, in addition to slow and boring.