'Ocean's 8' Had the Makings of Something Great

Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna are some of the big names thrown at this film. Add in the hilarious trio of Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Awkwafina and the cast alone is enough to get you excited about Ocean's 8.

Sandra Bullock plays Debbie Ocean (sister of Danny Ocean) who is released from prison and immediately begins planning a heist to steal an expensive necklace from The Met Gala. She first approaches her old partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett) explaining that to pull off the heist they only require five other people. Amita (Mindy Kaling) is their jewel expert desperate to escape the clutches of her mother, Nine Ball (Rihanna) their effortlessly cool hacker, Tammy (Sarah Paulson) a profiteer turned full time mum and Constance (Awkwafina) their street-smart pick pocket. The star of the film, however, is Helena Bonham Carter who plays a washed out fashion designer, Rose, that is convinced by Debbie and Lou to dress Daphne Klugor (Anne Hathaway) for the Met Gala. With the Irish/American accent, her rather distracted demeanour and constantly confused expression Helena Bonham Carter's character and superior acting skills steal the show.

Ocean's 8, whilst less popular with critics than it's predecessors, is a funny and super slick heist film that will be a clear crowd pleaser. The heist is smart, and very well thought out and the cast all deliver excellent performances. The problem is that the director, Gary Ross, made it seem as though he was disinterested in this film. With the #metoo campaign rampaging through Hollywood, this was the time to deliver a feminist film that included more than just amazing actresses. Despite having three Oscar's, a Grammy and an Emmy between them, it wasn't enough to make the writing and directing seem meaningful. Ross's heart just wasn't in it. Ocean's 8 had so much potential which was clear in the first half of the film full of wit and excitement however the second half was woefully disappointing. The heist was clever, but the filming and writing was clumsy as best making the second half of the film rather confusing at moments.

A different director definitely would have saved this film, one that was actually interested in doing more than just lifeless direction. The need for better writing was evident, what we got instead was an unrefined, underwhelming script. The only thing keeping this film alive was the dynamic performances by the eight incredibly talented leading ladies, but with terrible writing and horrible directing there is only so much they can do. Their characters whilst funny, smart and inspiring at times were also rather two dimensional. They are defined by their jobs rather than given much personality. Nine Ball is never given much to do outside of her computer work and we learn next to nothing about most of the characters lives. Maybe a female directer and writer would have been a more appropriate way forward, but this is Hollywood.