mysteryegg

Ocean's Twelve faces the same difficulties as any sequel. By this I don't mean those movies that are essential components to trilogies that continue the story; I mean those movies that basically take an established cast and throw them in a completely new storyline. The problem is trying to meet the expectations of an audience that loved the first and wants a new movie to love for all the same reasons. So many people were disappointed to learn that Ocean's Twelve was not yet another heist movie.

This film had to be a sequel. The plot takes advantage of the relationships the characters developed in the first film, and throws in many MANY subtle jokes the average viewer may miss if they don't listen closely. Some of the phrases like "thief a la mode" used in the film may require a bit of culture to appreciate.

Be warned that while Ocean's team do work together in the same fashion as the first film, the thievery itself doesn't take the spotlight in the film. Ocean's Eleven was the traditional heist film in its plot development with its climax at the point of executing the plan. Ocean's Twelve breaks away from this formula in favor of developing opportunities for some great character interaction.

The film disappoints with many characters taking a back seat in their roles to such an extent that the film could have been named after Pitt's character, with the Benedict aftermath merely serving as a catalyst for the characters finding their way back together. However, it would have been unreasonable for all eleven original characters to share an equal share of the spotlight and still turn out as well.

In the end, Ocean's Twelve is not a mere heist film but an Intelligent Comedy that may need to be watched more than once to appreciate some of the subtleties in the dialog. Just the amount of activity on this film's message board regarding some of the subtleties in the plot is a testament to the thought that went into making this film.

This isn't intended to be a thought-provoking artistic masterpiece, but understandably most reviewers on IMDb are the types who try to look for sophistication in a film and as such, I believe, can't simply enjoy the simply absurd humor in a film such as this. Comparing IMDb reviews for comedies, you'll find The Great Dictator (extremely slow even by Chaplain's standards) at the top and more direct slapstick like The Three Stooges much further down the list. Simply put, most reviewers prefer irony over the kind of things you might joke about with some friends.

That said, once I got into this film, I couldn't stop laughing from all the little unlikely absurdities. It doesn't seem to try too hard to set up the comedy like, say, Club Dread. Instead, it is a pure and simple fun movie with a not-too-quirky cast thrown together in a restricted setting. This setup can be movie gold as in The Breakfast Club, but never strives for greatness and instead settles for a loosely thrown together stream of small-town comedy perfect for when you just need to laugh at practically nothing.

There is so much I could say about this film, which bored me to tears because I went in expecting a comedy. Were not for this confusion, I might have given it a star higher, but I maintain that while it is a decent film, it is a terrible movie. The advertisements make the film out to be something spectacular, but the film strives to be anything but spectacular. This is a film about real life, real family struggles, no fairy tale parents and children. There is one image introduced throughout the film that could be seen as symbolic for attempting to get one's life "on target", which is truly beautiful.

In the end, I believe there is one way to know for sure if you'll enjoy this film: If you enjoyed Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari (Tokyo Story), you'll enjoy The Weather Man. Expect a little bit more humor, sometimes resulting in a little less believability, while maintaining the same focus on realism.