Ocean's 13

Ocean's 13 is a nice summer movie. I don't mean that to be tongue-in-cheek or noncommittal in any way. Ocean's 13 is a great summer confection of a film. It's light and breezy, engaging almost from start to finish, the kind of diversion that summer films are meant to be. It doesn't clobber you with special effects. It entertains.

Steven Soderberg does a great job of keeping the show moving and--apart from the technical complexities of pulling the job, which we are not meant to understand--clear. That's no small feat given the number of characters one must corral to have a 13.

The feel of Ocean's 13 is a bit different. This time it's not about the money. It's about justice. Okay, it's vigilante justice (some might say revenge), but you have your main character's weeping at Oprah and writing motivational letters to a sick friend. In fact, the boys are doing exactly what Oprah is doing in the clip we see from her show, only Vegas, writ Ocean's 11, style.

More than in the first two films, it feels to me that each actor gets his chance to shine. George Clooney and Brad Pitt have perfected their banter. (A shout-out to the Wesley Morris at the Boston Globe for this observation) George and Brad are like a married couple in the way they share deep affection for each other and finish each other's thoughts and sentences. Even more than that, their relationship to the rest of the gang is, in fact, parental. Perhaps it's the elimination of significant women characters that makes this more obvious than in the first two films.

Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin are excellent additions to the cast. Pacino is never subtle, but he's also never over the top, which is his claim to fame these days. He gives the perfect performance for the film, ruthless, self-centered, but ultimately there's a human side.

Ocean's 13 is a light film with a big heart. It's a nice antidote to the other big summer movies released thus far.