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Movie Review - Ocean's 12 (2004)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Steven Soderbergh |
| Starring: |
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Catherine Zeta-Jones |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for language) |
| Length: |
120 minutes |
| Genre: |
Thriller/Heist |
| Tagline: |
Twelve is the new eleven |
| Studio: |
Warner Bros. |
| Website: |
Ocean's 12 |
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PLOT
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The action picks up three years after Danny Ocean (Clooney) and his ten accomplices pulled off one of the
gutsiest, most profitable heists in history. After splitting the $160 million take, each crew member goes
his own way and tries to live a straight life. Unfortunately for them, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia)
finds out who all was responsible. Now he wants his money back, with interest, or things will get ugly.
A stylish sequel to the equally stylish Ocean's 11 ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Stylish. Original. Full of personality. All words used to describe Johnny Betts' hair. But, interestingly
enough, they also form an accurate description of Ocean's 12.
This sequel has much of the same feel as Ocean's 11, but it takes a
slightly different approach. Rather than focus on the heist, it gives more attention to the characters
and their attempts at getting out of the trouble they're facing. In the first one, the movie starts off
by introducing us to each of the main characters. Here, we watch as Andy Garcia tracks each one down and
issues his threat - pay him his money within two weeks or suffer the consequences.
Also, in Ocean's 11, everything seemed to fall into place for our beloved
thieves. Not anymore. Now everything seems to go wrong, and the crew finds itself face-to-face with one
obstacle after another. I'm just curious, is it bad to cheer for thieves and wish them the best? It's
OK if it's just a movie, right? I sure hope so.
You're dying to know which movie I preferred, right? No? Well I'll tell you anyway.
I know I'll probably be in the minority here, but I enjoyed Ocean's 12 a little more than
Ocean's 11. Why? Well, since you asked:
- Catherine Zeta-Jones! Finally, some eye candy for the guys! And no, Julia Roberts is NOT eye candy,
except for people with a skeleton fetish. Plus, CZJ (as I like to call her) does a good job in her role
as a detective with a father who was a thief. Her character adds another element of mystery.
- It's funnier than the first. Two great sources of comedy are the cameos of Bruce Willis and Topher
Grace as themselves. Topher whines about how his Kabbalah bracelet isn't working, and when talking
about the efforts he took to try to win the love of a girl he claims, "I totally phoned in that Dennis
Quaid movie." I won't say anything about Bruce's cameo, but it's great. The humor is mainly a
reflection of how much everybody obviously enjoyed making this movie.
- I do not like Julia Roberts. I have NEVER understood her appeal. And not to be shallow, but I don't
find her the least bit attractive. So how is that relevant to why I prefer Ocean's 12? Well,
Julia was a distraction in Ocean's 11, but here she has one enjoyable
scene that made me not think about how much I can't stand her! When a movie can do that, then it has
really accomplished something.
- The story is a little smarter, a little more clever than the first one. Some people might not like
the fact that everything isn't spelled out along the way, but I enjoyed being kept in the dark a bit.
The important thing is that all is revealed at the end. I know a couple of people complained that they
didn't understand everything because the story wasn't told in a linear fashion. One complaint was that
the big revelation was "unfair" because it prevented the viewer from being able to figure
everything out on his own. Fine with me. What's wrong with surprises?
One guy even complained that the ending was the movie's attempt to make you pay to go see the movie again
just to understand it. I would have to disagree. I had no problem following the story, and you don't
really have to watch it again to figure it all out, but it's one I *do* want to watch again so I can
approach it with a different perspective.
I recommend watching Ocean's 11 first. If you've already seen it, then
it wouldn't hurt to watch it again just as a refresher. Once you've done that you'll be ready to enjoy
Ocean's 12. Just don't yell and scream at me if *you* end up not liking it as much
Ocean's 11. After all, it's just a movie, and the fact that we have
a different preference won't prevent a cure for cancer. If it does, then that'll sure be weird and I pledge
to never see another movie again because man, it's just not worth stopping a cure for cancer.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Budget: $115,000,000
- Steven Soderbergh insisted that the film be made on the same budget as
Ocean's 11.
- Inspired by Honor Among Thieves.
- Filmed in Chicago, Amsterdam, Paris, Monte Carlo, Lake Como, Rome, and Castellamare del Golfo in
Sicily.
- One day, while jogging in Rome, Brad Pitt and George Clooney were caught in a rainstorm. When
they got back to the hotel, the doorman wouldn't let them back in because he thought
they were vagrants.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones was in Traffic with Benicio Del Toro who was in an episode of
Private Eye with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Surprisingly, there's really nothing here to offend mama. I only remember one "s" word and nothing else
stood out. Oh wait; there was one scene where several "f" bombs were bleeped out. I wouldn't recommend
it for kids though because I have a feeling they wouldn't be interested in following the story. It's a
bit too much to think about for the youngsters and those with short attention spans.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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No real surprises. What you see is what you get.
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THE GIST
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A little more clever, and a little funnier than its predecessor, Ocean's 12 presents itself as yet
another slick and stylish movie in the heist genre. If you can handle a little style over substance, then
you should be entertained. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should you.
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