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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 8 June 2018
By-the-numbers 'Ocean's 8' covers familiar territory
By LINDSEY BAHR their roles and get at least
Associated Press a few memorable mo-
Steven Soderbergh's ments of worthy banter,
"Ocean's Eleven" remake it's Hathaway who really
is a hard movie to live up steals the film with a wick-
to. Its starry charm was edly on-point satiric turn
backed by a breezy and a spoiled star. It is Hatha-
deceptively dense script way's Miranda Priestly mo-
full of memorable char- ment, and could have only
acters, dizzyingly complex been made better had she
logistics and lively filmmak- gone full-meta and played
ing that Soderbergh him- a character named "Anne
self couldn't even recreate Hathaway."
in the two sequels. But it is The celebrity skewering is
undeniable that even the first-rate, but, for the most
near-perfect "Eleven" was part, if you've seen Soder-
missing something pretty bergh's "Ocean's Eleven,"
major: Women. You know, you've basically seen
besides Julia Roberts, that "Ocean's 8" too. Director
blackjack dealer and the and co-writer Gary Ross
one exotic dancer. ("The Hunger Games") fol-
So why not, 17 years later, lows familiar story beats
fix that egregious oversight and attempts, unsuccess-
by gathering up a few Os- fully, to ape Soderbergh's
car and Emmy winners and filmmaking style. And his
nominees, a Grammy-win- glimpse inside the Met
ner and a buzzy comedi- Gala makes that famously
enne to keep that Ocean's glamorous event look aw-
franchise going and ac- fully pedestrian.
knowledge the other half It also doesn't help that
of the human population? the stakes never seem all
If only "Ocean's 8 " was as a This image released by Warner Bros. shows, from foreground left, Sandra Bullock Sarah Paulson, that real in "Ocean's 8,"and
fresh and smart as that first Rihanna, Cate Blanchett and Awkwafina in a scene from "Ocean's 8." when they do finally get an
one. (Hint: It's not for lack of Associated Press adversary, in a detective
star charisma or talent.) played by James Corden,
Sandra Bullock anchors the never-before-mentioned Danny Ocean, who has City" worship of brands and it's more for laughs.
cast as Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney's taken up the family busi- celebrity. There was a danger to
ness to varying degrees of Debbie's plan is to steal a "Ocean's Eleven" and a
success (we meet her in a $150 million diamond neck- thrill in seeing that team
parole hearing) and pre- lace. In order to do so, she succeed. Here, none of the
fers to work without "hims." and her assembled team women seem to have any
''Hers," she later explains, of savants have to first in- fallibility at all, and you nev-
can go unnoticed. filtrate the orbit of a va- er find yourself doubting
And indeed, Debbie uses pid celeb, Daphne Kluger whether or not they can
what could be a handicap (Anne Hathaway), and pull it off. Perhaps there is
very much to her advan- convince her to wear said something subversive to
tage in a rollicking shop- necklace to the Met Gala, the idea that all Debbie
lifting spree at Bergdorf's. where they'll steal it and di- has to do is social shame
It helps, of course, when vide the earnings accord- two security guys from en-
you look like Sandra Bullock ingly (a cool $16.5 million tering a women's restroom,
and you happen to have each). but we're there for a some-
left jail in full hair, makeup The team includes Lou thing more elaborate too.
and cocktail dress. But it's (Cate Blanchett), who That's kind of the overall
still quite a bit of fun see- dresses like a glam rocker problem of "Ocean's 8."
ing her act the part of a and spends her time wa- It's all predicated on the
wealthy and entitled shop- tering down well vodka fact that women are of-
per who tries to demand a for profit; Rose Weil (Hel- ten underestimated. But
refund for the items she's ena Bonham Carter), a in making that point, it's
literally just pinched from kooky past-her-prime fash- also somehow underesti-
their shelves. 90 percent of ion designer desperate for mated the audience who
her method is simply look- a comeback; a jeweler still should be entitled to a
ing like she belongs and in a rut, Amita (Mindy Ka- smart, fun heist, no matter
taking advantage of the ling); Nine Ball (Rihanna), who is pulling it off.
privileges that affords her. a hacker in dreadlocks; "Ocean's 8," a Warner Bros.
Don't expect this level of Constance (Awkwafina), release, is rated PG-13
class or gender commen- a pickpocket; and Tammy by the Motion Picture As-
tary from the rest of the (Sarah Paulson), a subur- sociation of America for
film, however. "Ocean's 8" ban mom who can't quite "language, drug use, and
suffers from a bit of tonal quit her white collar crime some suggestive content."
whiplash. Half the time it ways. Running time: 110 minutes.
seems to be veering into While Blanchett and Bull- Two and a half stars out of
grotesque "Sex and the ock are predictably solid in four.q
