Forgettable, but fun - Ocean's Eleven Reviews

Released con-man Clooney plots to rob three Vegas casinos in one fell swoop, putting together a rag-tag band of unlikely teammates, including card shark Pitt, pickpocket Damon, Florida retiree Carl Reiner, and an outrageous outfit wearing Hollywood type played by Elliot Gould, who looks like a cross between Mr. T. and Charles Nelson Reiley. Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his OCEAN'S 11 (the entire crew, including Clooney, makes for eleven partners who will split the loot) plan to rob the Bellagio, the Mirage and the MGM Grand, fictitiously owned by Andy Garcia, who has stolen Clooney's ex-wife, Julia Roberts. And if Roberts falls back into Clooney's arms for his success in the heist, Clooney can live with that, also. O-11 is stylish entertainment, but just don't ask any questions about its improbable plot. Early in the movie, Clooney leads a demonstration showing how almost exactly impossible the task will be of breaking into the three casino's shared strongbox, on a fight night, during which Nevada law purportedly requires the establishment to have on hand enough money to back all of the transactions on the casino floors. All of those admonitions, however, quickly go out the window and we never have to think about some of the impenetrable obstacles that he describes again until a few hours after the movie has finished and we begin to wonder how the big hit could have been possibly pulled off, even given the movie's portrayal of the action. But, anyone looking for tautologically reasoned plot flowcharts has come to the wrong movie if they are watching O-11. This, like the 1960 "Rat Pack" feature of which it is a remake (starring Frank Sinatra & Company), is really a group version of the buddy movie. As such, O-11 pulls off its objective. The movie is stylish and its glittering locations are sumptuously shot. At times, O-11'S cinematography possesses some of the hip visual assurance of some of Quentin Tarantino's films, or one of his lesser imitators, anyhow. For instance, one shot in which Clooney and Pitt are driving through Hollywood, shot from a camera in a fixed hover from behind the car, together with the jazzy soundtrack, lend O-11 a cool retro chic. Of course, the cast looks great -- down to Carl Reiner's fabulous shades -- and they are always immaculately lit. The plot progresses in an almost linear way with few impediments, except some mostly amusing complications saved for the very end. Rounding off O-11 are an uncredited Don Cheadle in an unconvincing British accent, and Shaobo Qin as an acrobatic little guy who folds away easily and can be tucked into serving carts and such and comes in handy for sneaking into the strongbox. Scott Caan and Casey Affleck appear as sort of cinematic versions of Akbar and Jeff ("Simpsons" creator Matt Groening's "brothers or lovers or possibly both"), caught in an cyclical love-hate relationship. Eddie Jemison and Bernie Mac complete the crew. The 411 on O-11: it's brainless fun. (Carlos Colorado)