Never Seen It: Ocean's Omake

I guess one of the drawbacks of moving through such a long list of items (in this case, films) in a limited (allegedly) amount of time is that there can sometimes be a sense of "okay, on to the next one!" while completely discarding the film that you just watched and which meant so much to you in a small moment in time.

So I'm glad that I got a late email from PoYB contributor Frank about the movie. Gives me (and you) another chance to think about this fun film and about the "what it all means" of this entire endeavor. Also important to get Frank's take on this, since he was an original member of Stickley's Eleven in the Great Northeast Philadelphia back in the day.

I just want to say I love Ocean's Eleven. I think that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are two great and interesting Actors with a capital A, who mostly pick interesting and meaty roles, but who aren't taken seriously because they are too good-looking and handsome and are presumed to be movie Stars with a capital S. It would take to long to explain my subjective opinion, but some people are actors, some are stars, and some are both, and there IS a difference.

Anyway, this is a chance for them to lean 100% into being movie stars. They are called Danny and Rusty, but this is a movie really about George and Brad being cool and charming, and Matt Damon getting invited into the Movie Star Club from the award-winning Indie Actor Club. It reminds me of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ostensibly being an excuse for Newman and Redford to have fun being movie stars.

I love Elliot Gould, and I love him in this. I love Carl Reiner, and I love him in this. Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, etc., etc., all great. Fuck Casey Affleck, who is a piece of shit.

Everyone is pitch perfect, and they give this big-budget popcorn movie to indie darling auteur Steven Soderbergh, and I think he elevates it into a master heist movie. I love heist movies, and this one is the breeziest, and maybe the best? I find it infinitely watchable. I also did the corniest thing possible when I went to Las Vegas and I went to the Bellagio Fountain show JUST so I could feel like the end of this movie.  As a former Vegas resident, I'm sure that makes you cringe, but in my older age, I fully embrace being corny and doing the nerdy things I want to do.

Always appreciate Frank's thoughts about film. Feels good to lend the ear to someone who knows what the fuck they are talking about. E.g. I had had the thought that I liked this as a heist film, but that I didn't have enough experience to say that it was one of the better heist films. That's where the guru come in. Good to know.

And it's weird, thinking back now on that quick little sojourn in Vegas. When I read "former Vegas resident," it took me a second to realize he was talking about me and Pam. I will say that the Bellagio fountain is one of the most weirdly meaningful experiences one can have in that town. I had a few back in the day. Clearly the movie knew that, and the scene fit perfectly as a conclusion. I don't think it's corny at all to continue that cycle, and to take Ocean Eleven's word for it, that you can have that moment too.

I continue to welcome any takes (hot or cold) from any PoYB readers or contributors who want to send in their thoughts about any of the movies that are covered in this column. Films are great by themselves but they are even better when they are shared.