Ocean's 11 - old and new

[JeffL]

I'm a big fan of older movies (particularly 40s and early 50's era), but I just watched the Rat Pack Ocean's 11 and the new Ocean's 11, and I came away with the opinion that the new version is a much better movie. I enjoy a lot of the Rat Pack movies, but I've always been mystified at the praise the original O-11 gets. It comes across as an amazingly self-indulgent vanity flick - everyone in the movie, including guys I like in a lot of other films, seem to just be going through the motions - hey, we're cool, so even if all we do is flub our lines and walk through them as if we can't wait for the camera to turn off, people will think this is a hip movie. I went into it expecting to really enjoy a good, hokey Rat Pack movie, and was sorely dissapointed.

OTOH, I didn't expect to enjoy the modern O-11 much, but it was a lot of fun. Didn't take itself real seriously, good popcorn flick.

Is there anyone who really thinks the original Ocean's 11 was any good in any dimension?

[Bub, Andrew]

The music is great in the new one. And Julia Roberts is horrifically miscast. Loved Pitt and Clooney, and was floored by Bernie Mac and especially Carl Reiner.

I haven't seen the original Jeff, but I'm not surprised to hear your complaints. That film is notorious for being exactly what you described it as. A vanity pic. Sinatra was also famous on that shoot for yelling that the Director. Stuff like "What do you mean Take 2? We did it. Cut it. Print it. We're done!"

That's paraphrased.

[JeffL]

Hey Andrew,

I hadn't really read anything about the original, but that sounds like what I gathered from the original. I'll have to go dig up some background on it. What surprised me is how widely praised the orginal is.

[Dave Long]

I enjoyed the remake, though it didn't really go anywhere. The performances were good and the set up was well done. I always like movies about guys that are smarter than they appear coming out on top at the end. There's just something satsifying about watching Andy Garcia play a guy that gets taken too. :)

Not the best of films, but certainly not among the worst either.

--Dave

[Ben Sones]

I rather liked it (the new one)--enough to buy the DVD. There is little real tension in the movie; you KNOW that they are going to pull it off, the only real question is how. But that's how the movie was designed to play out, and it works well. It helps that the plan itself, when you find out what it really is, turns out to be extremely clever.

The dialog is also very well written, and the performances were great across the board (including Julia Roberts, although she did play the least interesting character in the cast).

[James Gutierrez]

I really liked the new one also. A fun couple hours of movie stars looking cool with a heist thrown in for good measure. I thought Elliot Gould was great. I also thought Roberts did a fine job, although in her entrance scene she looked a little awkward - like she had never worn heels before or something. I'm not sure who else you could have cast there; it seems to me that Julia Roberts is the only actress with enough "movie star" vibe to not be overshadowed by the male stars. Anyone know why Don Cheadle was uncredited?

"I owe you from the thing with the guy in the place, and I'll never forget it."

[TimElhajj]

>"I owe you from the thing with the guy in the place, and I'll never forget it."

James, was that a line from the most recent O11? I just love that line! But I don't remember who said it. Who was it?

[James Gutierrez]

Tim,

Yeah, it was Ruben (Elliot Gould) to Clooney and Pitt when they approached him to fund the heist. I also loved their response:

Clooney: That was our pleasure.
Pitt: I had never been to Belize.

I also liked the poker scene when Topher Grace lays down his hand: "All reds, baby!"