Film review: ‘Ocean’s 8’

It’s a pleasure to check out the wattage of the cast, each one in a more glittering ensemble than the last.|

Given the all-female leads in “Ocean’s 8,” one must wonder: Why is this film directed by a man? And, if it had to be directed by a man, why not Steven Soderbergh, who helmed the three previous “Ocean’s” films? For “8,” Gary Ross steps in and does a pedestrian job - luckily his cast does not.

Characters are introduced by the way they scam people. Unreformed and unrepentant master thief Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) steps out of jail and into Bergdorf Goodman to rebuild her makeup stock without paying for anything. She reconnects with her friend Lou (Cate Blanchett), who is busy watering down vodka for bottle service in her nightclub. While feeding Lou bites of breakfast in a somewhat suggestive manner, Debbie pitches a major heist that will require several more accomplices.

There’s Amita (Mindy Kaling), a master jeweler in need of female companionship besides her mother, Tammy (Sarah Paulson), a bored mom who fences truckloads of stolen Sodastreams from her perch in suburbia, the quick-handed Constance (Awkwafina), who runs three-card monte games in the park, and Nine Ball (Rihanna), a hacker who impresses Lou and Debbie in spite of her silly moniker (RiRi’s blunts and rasta ensembles subtly promote her upcoming reggae album). The final piece in the ensemble is Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter), a down-at-her-heels fashion designer who needs a payday to offset losses from her terrible collection of flight attendant couture.

This squad gathers at Lou’s chic gal cave (faux fur throws, Samuel Beckett portrait by Richard Avedon) and set to plotting. The target is a Cartier necklace worth $150 million (you know it’s a pricy piece when the unit of measurement used to describe it is pounds, not carats). It will be around the neck of Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) at the Met Gala (properly pronounced, we finally learn definitively, with a short “a”). Their runway to the heist is short - only three weeks, which is the minimum time it takes to just figure out the labyrinthine layout of the Met.

As Kluger, a vain actress and easy mark for the crew, Hathaway and her “huge features” are put to great use. She excels at parodic self-absorption - you can almost see the flutter of feathers from the canary she’s just swallowed.

In the most realistic part of the film, men - when they appear - are depicted as cocky and idiotic, manipulated as props throughout. Claude Becker (Richard Armitage) is Debbie’s sleazy art-dealing ex, who proves useful as an invitee to the Met Gala. An investigator played by James Corden bumbles along exactly as Debbie and Co. would hope.

Though Ross and cinematographer Eigil Bryld put lots of Vaseline on the lens, the plot mechanics are never as frictionless as they should be. In what counts, by Hollywood’s abysmal standards, as some degree of diversity, “Ocean’s 8” does have a female co-writer and editor.

Revealing the key to any heist (and any good movie), Debbie says the elaborate thievery must have attention to detail and grace notes. “Ocean’s 8” is full of such moments, as when Constance looks at a picture of Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and proclaims him “hot” before hustling Debbie for a MetroCard. The Met’s camera system is hilariously hacked because the head of security can’t resist clicking on a Nine Ball’s phishing link to a site devoted to adorable wheaten terriers.

The triumphant Gala sequence features cameos galore, from the worlds of fashion (Anna Wintour), tennis (Serena Williams) and escapees from Scientology (Katie Holmes). It’s a pleasure to check out the wattage of the cast, each one in a more glittering ensemble than the last. Would that they were joined on the real red carpet by a female director.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.