Moments after promising a parole board she just wanted a chance to live a simple life, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) walks out of prison and begins to put into motion a plan to steal a $150 million diamond Cartier necklace that hasn’t been out of a vault in 50 years.
Not so simple.
But the simple life would be wasted on a cast this dazzling – six established actors at the top of their game (Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Sarah Paulson) together with a music superstar (Rihanna) and a scene stealing newcomer (Awkwafina) unite to create a chemistry that’s undeniable.
It’s clear no one has more fun on a movie set than these ladies.
This time around, the heist will take place at the most exclusive party in the United States – the Met Gala, an event thrown by Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine featuring a who’s who from every industry in gowns and tuxes designed for the evening. It’s the super bowl of fashion.
Over the past five years in prison, Ocean has planned the crime down to the smallest detail and now that she’s assembled the crew she needs to pull it off, nothing can stop her.
Bullock and her right hand woman Cate Blanchett deliver crackling performances, and have a flirty chemistry that hints at a past between them not explored in the film.
Helena Bonham Carter delights in playing a failed fashion designer who is a little crazy, and Mindy Kaling delivers her customary sass playing a maligned jeweler desperate to escape her mother’s house. Anne Hathaway turns in her most over-the-top performance (in a good way) in years as the self absorbed actress/Met Gala host Daphne Kluger, and Rihanna, the real life queen of the Met Gala, hides her usual sparkle and glam to play hacker extraordinaire Nine Ball.
Newcomer rapper Awkwafina (real name Nora Lum) steals every scene she’s in as a pickpocket that can steal your watch, wallet and heart before you’ve even noticed she’s there.
The only criticism of this slick, fast-paced heist film is I wanted so much more time with each of the characters. Finally, a film full of interesting female characters and we don’t get enough time with any of them because the heist must go on!
This is a splashy, fun, lighthearted summer flick that will have you contemplating a life of crime because these ladies make it look like so much fun.
Vicky Sparks is a Bright’s Grove native and movie critic for Global TV’s The Morning Show, which airs nationally on Fridays. Her Journal Reviews cover movies playing at Galaxy Cinemas Sarnia