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 I
can’t think of any movie that I’ve been wanting to see more this
holiday season than “Ocean’s Twelve.” Sure, there are a lot of
must-see movies – like “Meet the Fockers” and “The Aviator” –
but since 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven”
has grown on me over the years after grossing an impressive $446
million worldwide, its highly anticipated sequel was perched firmly
at the top of my list.
Speaking
of which, 2004 has been a mighty good year for Hollywood sequels,
with many of them – specifically “Kill
Bill Vol. 2,” “Spider-Man 2,”
“Shrek 2” and “The Bourne Supremacy” – either equally or surpassing
their predecessors in terms of quality and box office. Given the
amazing list of talented filmmakers and cast members returning
for “Ocean’s Twelve,” there was every reason to believe that the
trend would continue.
Well, it
just goes to show you that you should never judge a book by its
cover. Where “Ocean’s Eleven” was a colorful, smooth, fun party
that built up to a satisfying payoff, “Ocean’s Twelve” is a dark,
slow-moving, convoluted hangover that fizzles out to end up as
one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
Ever since
they stole more than $160 million from casino impresario Terry
Benedict (Andy Garcia), Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his gang
have been trying to adjust to the legit life. They soon discover
that payback’s a bitch when Benedict shows up demanding his money
back – plus interest – but the only way they can make that happen
is if they go overseas to pull off an even bigger heist. The members
of Ocean’s Eleven soon find themselves in over their heads with
an impossible task that will make the Bellagio job seem like child’s
play, and there’s no way they can possibly do it themselves. Hmm,
do you think they’re gonna need one more?
If nothing
else, “Ocean’s Twelve” proves that “Ocean’s Eleven” was a lot
better than most critics at the time gave it credit for. Not only
did screenwriter Ted Griffin manage to give everybody something
to do, but we saw them do it twice – once during the set-up, and
again during the actual heist. It also helped that director Steven
Soderbergh was at the top of his game after the one-two punch
of “Erin Brockovich” and “Traffic” the previous year. But with
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Co. calling the shots,
you simply couldn’t go wrong, and their easygoing, irresistible
chemistry let moviegoers in on all the fun.
The problem
is that “fun” is exactly what seems to be missing from the sequel,
as Clooney and the gang clearly don’t have the upper hand. Screenwriter
George Nolfi – who turned his screenplay for “Honor Among Thieves”
into “Ocean’s Twelve” – seems to have had a harder time giving
each team member a chance to shine, and many of the developments
are so strained that it’s hard to justify their presence at all.
Perhaps that’s why Bernie Mac spends more than half of his time
locked away in a jail cell, while Julia Roberts gets thrown into
the mix with an absurd plot twist that goes on way too long and
isn’t nearly as clever as it was intended to be.
Not helping
matters is that the arty, dark, gritty style of “Ocean’s Twelve”
seems like an unwanted leftover from Soderbergh’s two most recent
(and less successful) films from 2002, “Full Frontal” and the
remake of “Solaris.” It’s certainly Soderbergh’s prerogative to
indulge in his experimental side, but this was probably not the
film to do it with. It’s almost as if he knew what was expected
of him, and he purposely went the other way.
Getting the
entire cast to return was no small feat, but it seems pointless
if they’re not all being utilized. Where Clooney was the man with
the plan in “Ocean’s Eleven,” now he feels more like a guest star
in his own movie. In fact, other than Pitt and Damon – who actually
have more to do this time around – none of the returning cast
members bring much to the table. The plot twist with Roberts seems
like a cop-out, while Catharine Zeta-Jones barely registers as
the Europol agent who has a secret history with Pitt’s smooth
operator. Vincent Cassel rounds out the cast as the European master
thief who holds the key to Clooney’s future, but is it just me,
or does he look a lot like “Scooby-Doo’s” Matthew Lillard?
If Frank
Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and the rest of the Rat
Pack that starred in the original “Ocean’s 11” saw the remake,
they probably would have been proud. I doubt that the same can
be said about the sequel, which has none of the cool, smooth charm
of its predecessor. It doesn’t change my opinion that 2004 has
been a great year for sequels, but it’s a crying shame that “Ocean’s
Twelve” isn’t one of them. Perhaps the next time the filmmakers
ask themselves “do you think we need one more,” hopefully the
answer will be “no.”
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