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Keep it Reel: 'Ocean's 8'

By Marc Woodfork

Sandra Bullock returns to the big screen and assembles the crew for another heist in 'Ocean's 8'.   Sandra plays the role of Debbie Ocean, the sister of George Clooney's character Danny Ocean from the previous "Ocean's" films.  After getting paroled from jail, Sandra pulls the former crew together for the heist of the ages.  They plan to steal a very expensive necklace from a celebrity that is wearing it while attending the biggest event of the year, The Met Gala.

Let me begin by saying, I love a good heist film.  Who doesn't?  'Ocean's 8' is well intended, but falls short of expectations.  The cast is great and they all do a very good job in their intended roles, but the producers leaned too heavily on the original film.  There are even a couple scenes that mirror 'Ocean's 11' shot for shot and dialogue for dialogue.  That's disappointing.  Furthermore, the script is not nearly as clever, sharp, or witty as the original.  The attempt is valiant but falls terribly short.

Part of what made 'Ocean's 11 great was that all the actors felt comfortable with their roles.  They were all believable.   In Ocean's 8, it felt like none of the characters knew each other.   Not enough personality.  The film feels very robotic.   I love the idea of an all-female heist film, I just wish the producers gave the actors more to work with.

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