"Ocean's Eight" Movie Review

What could be funnier than Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, and Helena Bonham Carter stealing a $150 million necklace off of Anne Hathaway's neck? Anything, apparently.

The film follows Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean, as she is released from prison after five years. She tracks down her old friend Lou and reveals to her her plan to steal a $150 million necklace. Instead of going for it in the vault (which is what Danny would do), Debbie decides to wait for the gala when it will be in the open....surrounded by hundreds of people.

I have to say, this film was sadly lesser than its predecessors. The original Ocean's 11 with Sinatra had high stakes as the film focused more on the escape than the robbery. In the Ocean's trilogy with Clooney, the stakes were high in every film and there was always a personal reason as to why the heist was being done. All of them were intelligent, witty films. That brings us to Ocean's Eight. There is a revenge plot thrown in at the last second, but the heist honestly felt more like it was a "for fun" type of deal. It felt like the writers were just making things up as they went rather than planning things out like they should have been.

I did love the cast, however. Sandra Bullock's performance gave me memories of her Miss Congeniality days. Cate Blanchett was perfection as always. Helena Bonham Carter brilliantly played a Scottish (or was it Irish?) fashion designer with some hilarious moments. Speaking of hilarious moments, Rihanna was by far the film's comedic relief. One would think it'd be Mindy Kaling but one would be wrong. While Mindy had some fun moments, she had more of a serious role.

In conclusion, while I loved the cast and their performances I did not love the story behind the heist. It wasn't as stellar as the other films nor did it have the wit or charisma that the others had. I give the film a 2.5 out of 4.