Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for this review. Looks like I’ll just have to plan my own heist. Who’s in? Ocean’s Eight is copyright Warner Bros. Images used for reference and commentary.
Debbie Ocean was born for crime – and she’s ready to run this job. This lady is not only part of the Ocean family, but she is sharp and determined. After being strung up by an ex, she’s ready to pull off the heist she’s been cooking for the last 5+ years in the slammer. All she needs is a team. A team of ladies!
This is a spin-off of the Ocean’s Eleven movies. Debbie is Danny’s sister, but she’s suave in her own way. Sandra Bullock excels as Debbie. From the moment she appears, she owns the show – with a permanent twinkle in her eye.
Then, there are the other ladies. Quite a line-up! Each one stands apart but works together. My favourites were Rihanna’s Nine Ball and Helena Bonham Carter’s Rose Weil. Her Irish accent is 100% preferable to Cheadle’s Cockney. The ladies’ characters are good…but could have been better. There is limited interaction between them, and a void of internal conflict. Their personal stakes could have been higher. The concept of potential jail time was floated around, but nothing that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Ocean’s Eight is not devoid of men, but they are limited to smaller parts or cameos. One character’s husband was so irrelevant, he didn’t even appear. This is a nice nod to movies where men’s wives will be flippantly mentioned but not appear or have any influence on the story. Ocean’s Eight shows how women can be clever and strong on their own, but that men do not have to be rounded up and placed on a desert island for this to be possible. It was a good female ensemble cast that wasn’t trying too hard. It seemed natural – as it should! If only female casts were not such an abnormality.
The movie follows the formula of a heist movie. The team is formed, the heist is developed and carried out, some details are withheld until the end. Is it the strongest heist movie ever? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Did you see Oceans Twelve? That movie was good for some shut-eye.
Ocean’s Eight is an enjoyable film. If you like heist movies, it is worth seeing. I hope this movie will be a launching point for more female ensemble casts. If Ocean’s Twelve led to an Ocean’s Thirteen, I don’t want to hear from any fuss-pants that Ocean’s Eight shouldn’t lead to more movies with female casts.
