Ocean’s 8 (2018, PG-13)

This is a movie I’ve been waiting for for a while, and while it’s not quite as great as I’d have liked it to be (that often seems to happen with movies I’m really anticipating – maybe I need to adjust my expectations?), it’s a highly-entertaining film headed by a stellar cast.

Debbie Ocean, the Ocean of the title and the sister of George Clooney’s Danny in the original Ocean’s franchise, has just been paroled with a singular mission:  assembling a team to pull off an audacious heist, robbing a $150 million Cartier diamond necklace from the neck of the celebrity wearing it at the Met Gala.  Getting back together with her old partner Lou, the two ladies find everyone they need to tackle Debbie’s dream heist.

I really like the attitude Debbie brings here.  More than wanting the money she’ll get from fencing it, Debbie wants to steal the necklace for the pure enjoyment of it, for the thrill of seeing her complex, well-executed heist realized; it’s a bit like the old saying about climing Everest because it was there.  It’s what she’s good at, and it’s what she wants to do.  I like it – it’s a simple, uncomplicated motive that, despite the criminal intent behind it, is actually kind of pure, and that’s the energy that fuels the film.

I’ll admit, there are places where I’d like a little more flash and style.  The script, while generally entertaining and well put-together, drags in a few places, and there are points where the breezy heist-film excitement starts to flag a bit.  On the whole, though, I like watching our central crooks each doing their part to contribute to the heist.  Fairly well-worn beats, maybe – the tech expert hacking security feeds, the light-fingered pickpocket robbing her own compatriots of their watches, etc. – but the individual characters feel specific enough to carry it through, and I enjoy the specific challenges that the Met Gala provides, as opposed to, say, a casino or bank vault.

No surprise, the fabulous actresses at the center of the film are its best asset.  As Debbie and Lou, Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett effortlessly lead the film, selling the history and unspoken synchonicity between them (I really wanted them to have been lovers, at least at some point – sequel?)  Anne Hathaway plays Daphne Kluger, the self-absorbed actress whose neck is the object of our antiheroines’ attentions, and her performance is sensational, just over-the-top enough, pulling back before it gets hammy.  I also really love Sarah Paulson’s fence/suburban housewife Tammy, Awkwafina’s cheerful pickpocket Constance, and Rihanna’s chill hacker Nine Ball, and the cast is delightfully rounded out by the addition of Mindy Kaling as diamond expert Amita and Helena Bonham Carter as has-been designer Rose.  Their shared chemistry together is fun, snappy, and infectious, and if this film turns into a franchise, it’s going to be because of how terrific these ladies are to watch together.

Warnings

Swearing, drinking/smoking/drug use, brief sexual content, and lots of criminal activity.