Ocean's 8
by Olivia Milch and Gary Ross
Sarah: I went to see this movie on Friday, 8 June. That morning, one of my neighbors mentioned hearing that all the reviews she’d seen were really terrible, that it was a “missed opportunity” or some such whatever. I, slightly less-than-entirely caffeinated and therefore lacking neighborly diplomacy, asked if the reviewers who wrote those reviews were men, and if so, I didn’t plan on listening to them because for a large percentage of male critics of any form of entertainment, well, they don’t like it when women win.
I like it a lot when women win.
And there is a fair amount of win in this movie. Wow, is there winning.
The summary is pretty simple: Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean, who is presumed dead (there’s a grave and everything but of course there’s no body so who knows?) (even the characters acknowledge he might not be entirely dead, and therefore slightly alive) gets out of prison after 5+ years. The film opens with her parole hearing, then skips to her exit as she puts on lipstick, advises a guard what to do with the next shipment coming in, and heads out with $45 in her pocket, saying she can do anything she wants.
She immediately cons her way into some upscale cosmetics, then a hotel room, and then some clothes in a random suitcase – one presumes those items fit her – and her first day out ends with her in the bathtub looking at a hand-drawn list as she drinks wine.
She finds her former partner Lou, played by Cate Blanchett – more on that in a moment – and begins sketching out an outrageous heist. The heist part you saw in the trailers: there’s jewels, there’s the Met Gala so there’s umpty-twelve levels of sparkly glamour surrounding the heist, and there’s the team assembled to pull it off, whom you also saw in the trailers: Rhianna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sarah Paulson.
I loved so much about this film. I loved each character’s strengths, and how they built on and complemented each other. I loved the wardrobe – especially Cate Blanchett’s character who needed more screen time just standing still. I really enjoyed the large and small ways in which they took care of each other, and I adored that they were fearlessly conning others and had no shame about that. Everything in society is a con already, especially against women, so why not con harder?
My only major problem was that I didn’t think there was a truly looming, oh-shit moment of peril wherein I thought, nope, they are completely and utterly fucked. Because of that, the slide toward the end seemed less exhilarating than the first 3/4ths of the movie.
I also wonder if Lou and Debbie’s relationship could have been more in the foretext (?) instead of a hint. At one point Debbie mentions that she was going through “a rough patch with Lou” – and their relationship seemed cast as more than friendship, more like the time-worn familiarity of two people who used to be together. I wish that had been more obvious, because hinting when everything else was so very much determined to take advantage of the obvious seems like a let-down.
The thing I remember most is how much fun I had in the theatre, how many moments I was laughing. Even when James Corden, Professional British Puppy, showed up, I didn’t find him too annoying (I typically enjoy very small Corden doses). Heist movies are fun, heist movies with a crew of women are very fun, and this movie in particular was exactly what I wanted, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
RHG: So my history with the Ocean’s movies is LONG- I love 11 with an unabashed glee and it’s one of my “I know I have it on DVD and streaming but if I find it on cable I’ll watch it” movie. 12 was clearly a lot of fun to make, even if the plot is kiiiiind of a mess, but as a rebuttal, I give you Vincent Cassel. And 13 is just fun.
So you tell me that I get an all lady Ocean’s movie and you give THAT cast, and I am in all the way. ALL. THE. WAY.
Heist movies tend to come in two flavors, kinda rompy, or deadly ass serious. (Den of Thieves and The Town are examples of Deadly Ass Serious. The Ocean’s series, The Italian Job, these are rompy.
I loved just about everything- the relationship between Debbie and Lou, the clear joy Anne Hathaway had in having all these supprotie ladies around her, the pairing of Helena Bonham Carter and Mindy Kaling, which I never expected and now I want them to have a road trip movie.
We also know that my love for Richard Armitage is pure and true, and he was perfectly cast as the handsome but kinda douchey and completely out of his depth dude who got on the wrong side of an Ocean. (Don’t get on the wrong side of an Ocean. You’ll just lose a lot of your money and be tired.)
The thesis of the movie was clearly stated when Lou and Debbie were going over potential candidates for the 7th member of the team, and Lou holds up a picture of a dude, and Debbie says “No dudes. They get all the attention.” instead this was Ladies Doing It For Themselves (the title of my second favorite personal playlist on my phone) and it was glorious.
The only quibble I have, and it’s a fairly minor one, all things considered, is that they didn’t really get to the truly ridiculous level of over the top that costumes for the Met Gala can take. It’s probably a question of finances- that would be incredibly expensive. But it is the kind of place where the Chair of the Gala would wear a $150 million dollar necklace. I’d just expect her gown to be MORE.
(Also you should definitely take the opportunity to watch the documentary First Monday in May, which is about the Met Gala and how it’s put on. It’s fascinating, and I highly recommend it.)
Oh, and Debbie and Lou definitely were in a relationship with each other at some point. 100%. Possibly still. I mean, wouldn’t you?
Sarah: I’m for a B+ on this one. You?
RedHeadedGirl: B+. No question.
Sarah: If you like fun heist films with a lot of glamour and savvy women working together, you’ll really enjoy this one.
So what about you? Did you see Ocean’s 8 this weekend? What did you think?
You can find tickets to Ocean’s 8, in theatres now, at Fandango and Moviefone.
I love almost everyone in it, so even though I’m annoyed that a man directed it, I’m in. Hoping to see it in the theatre and even more hoping to see it with a girl friend.
My theater was full of women seeing it in groups of friends, which was GREAT.
I took myself to see this movie in the middle of the day on Friday. I was so darn sad over Anthony Bourdain and it was raining and I wasn’t getting any work done at all and I thought why not give Ocean’s 8 a boost on the first weekend? Why not let a bunch of amazing women cheer me up a little?
And you know what? It totally worked. This movie is so fun. I mean, when I left the theater I was still sad and it was still raining (and I definitely didn’t get any work done that afternoon). But I did feel a ton better after laughing my way through a few hours and focusing my thoughts on figuring out the clever plot twists. And oh the sparkle!
I do think this review is right about basically everything, especially the Debbie and Lou relationship — that could have been filled out more. I also wasn’t a big fan of the “is my brother still alive?” stuff. I think that distracted from the main women-centric story without adding anything.
Since Friday, I’ve been thinking a lot about the scene where Debbie justifies why it’s an all-girl crew. I don’t want to give away any details so I’ll just say that I think this is really what the film is about and it was worked into the story in a satisfyingly logical way.
I just saw this last night! It was so so good. Fun, glam as hell, and the women were just so bold and clearly having one hell of good time.
I made an Insta post about my pet theory: Lou and Debbie have a decades long on-off thing where they always care deeply for each other, and have a ton of fun. Debbie def had a short fling with Tammy in their 20s, and Tammy could be a fun chill time for Lou. PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN, UNIVERSE.
I also loved Mindy and Helena together! Rihanna in that red dress? Cate in every single scene had my little gay heart singing.
Special shoutout to Marlo Thomas, Elizabeth Ashley, Mary Louise Wilson, and Dana Ivey!
my daughter suggested seeing this movie yesterday just as I had pulled up the website with the times it was showing. I loved it too. My daughter had to point out to me all the famous fashion people I didn’t know like several of the models who are big these days. All of that added to the glamour which was used as a tool. Good movie
@chacha1 I was super bummed when the credits came up and it was directed by a man. I feel like that one frame sort of cut my experience off at the knees.
I totally missed the allusion to a relationship between Debbie and Lou—although in retrospect I see it in them admiring each other in their evening wear.
I was so put off by the opening bit where Debbie steals everything—I really have no patience for that kind of entitlement. I guess you could argue that it’s probably easier to con your way into luxury than average lifestyle stuff, since the upper crust world revolves around not questioning rich people, but I just kept seeing average, hardworking people getting left on the hook for expensive inventory losses. TLDR, I guess maybe I’m not the audience for heist movies anymore? That would be sad…
I was really hesitant to click on this review, then enormously relieved to see your B+ grade. I’ll come back and read the details and comments after I see it tomorrow. So excited.
I saw this last Friday and had a blast. I love heist movies and tv shows (RIP Leverage), and an all-women Ocean’s # movie was exactly the sort of thing I always wanted and never expected to have. I think the acting was good, and it was so nice to have such a wide range of women on screen, being super competent.
My mom, mother-in-law, husband and I saw it Saturday. I thought it was meh – although Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter absolutely killed it – they were both amazing. I was thrown off from the beginning when it appeared Danny Ocean was dead? I am like this is a fun heist movie, just like in romance novels, no one important dies in fun heist movies – that’s the frickin point of it being fun. And I actually was disappointed in Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchette – their performances lacked something for me at least. Again I can’t emphasize how much Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter absolutely stole the show.
My mom, mother in law, and husband all thought the movie was a lot of fun. They enjoyed it a lot although they wouldn’t say it was on of their favorites of the year.
Also did anyone else love the preview for Peppermint with Jennifer Garner? At first I wasn’t too impressed it just looked like a copycat of Taken or Man on Fire just with a female lead. Then there is a twist. Garner’s character decides not only to exact revenge on the people who killed her family BUT also becomes a vigilante crime fighter protecting the whole neighborhood and then I am all like hells to the yeah I totally need to see this. I was a big fan of Alias back in the day when Garner was an ass kicking CIA agent and and this very much looks like she is going back to that same badassness – so yay!
I saw this movie and absolutely loved it. Like your neighbor, the first reviews I saw when the embargo lifted were negative, and I got a bit worried. I of course would have preferred that it be directed by a woman, and either way I think it could have used a more adventurous director, but my experience of the movie was so completely delightful. So glad it’s getting positive reviews too and doing well at the box office.
Next we need that spy movie with Lupita and Rihanna directed by Ava Duvernay and written by Issa Rae that twitter concepted into existence!
There were so many great bits where the women had their shit together and could get around men who either didn’t or were just doing the minimum. Debbie getting around the parole board and leaving her operation to the female corrections officer. Lou in the club. Constance taking the guy’s money and watch. Busting the busboys. The way Tammy slid into her coordinator job and honestly was the center of things. The whiney security guy who had been handed his dad’s company. Rose Weil as washed up and daft but turning her rep to her advantage against everyone (shades of the great Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tassioni on The Good Wife.)
I saw this movie on Saturday, and like you, I kept thinking that there was going to be some moment where they were in over their heads, because it felt like the movie was setting up for that (Debbie’s planned everything out so perfectly, surely SOMETHING had to go wrong) and then…
I really enjoyed the movie. I too wished that the backstory between Debbie and Lou had been fleshed out more–maybe in the inevitable sequel?? And was I the only one who stuck around for a while as the credits were rolling, because I was SURE there was going to be some little last-second reveal (like Danny being alive after all)???
Is Debbie Ocean Anne Hathaway or Sandra Bullock?
Emily A
Sandra
I saw this with my bridesmaid this week, & it rocked! It was lots of fun, but not nearly long enough. I enjoyed the update at the end, but would’ve loved to see more development of the relationships, with the ladies just hanging out being awesome together.