Weightless
Ocean's Twelve
Review by Ross Anthony

It's a bit of a mess. But a fun mess. Surfacey, fluff, chockfull of twists, and clever banter. With such an expansive cast and so many characters, Twelve lacks a single character with weight (though the film seems to expect that of a few). Clooney, Zeta-Jones and especially Pitt give this failing a run for its money, but are soon enough part of the blur. Bernie Mac barely appears, the crew member specializations are virtually ignored, and that fun little Chinese guy doesn't do any great acrobatic feats.

Most noticeably lacking weight, Andy Garcia returns as the fellow Ocean's 11 robbed in the first film. We're supposed to believe he's intimidating enough to force the band of thieves to cough up all his money with interest in two weeks time. He didn't convince me, but all eleven plus one believed enough to make a full feature movie focused on their attempts to steal what they owed.

The filmmakers rush passed this and other such gaps in believability as a magician makes sure to lure attention away from the actual trick. The end result -- it's fun till you realize you've been duped. Then it's just fluff. The film never delivers the meat and potatoes.

That said, it truly is fun. Seldom a dull moment, the picture delights in quirky verbal back and forth. Damon questions, "Doesn't anyone here have a problem, morally, stealing from a handicapped guy?" The others look around at each other, "Naw, we don't care." It's this sort of relaxed writing brought to life with subtle, splendidly-acted delivery that make the film shine on the dialogue level. And because of that the film hovers just barely above average into the B+ zone.


  • Ocean's Twelve. Copyright © 2004.
  • Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Julia Roberts.
  • Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
  • Screenplay by George Nolr.
  • Produced by Jerry Weintraub at Village Roadshow/Warner Brothers/JW.

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)

Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.

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Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 08:01:29 PDT