Ocean’s 8

First it was the 60s, and La cuadrilla de los once, with Frank Sinatra and his colleagues from the "Rat Pack" (Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop ...). Then it was the turn of George Clooney, born to be the leader of the most stylish band of Hollywood thieves of the new century (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Cassey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould ...), and with the that would give up to three punches on orders from Steven Soderbergh. The formula was clear: to bring together the group of the coolest stars in the world of entertainment and to spoil them with the softness with which we imagine that Sinatra prepared a mimosa at breakfast time. 'Cool' types, elegant types, funny types. It was about following the adventures of some thieves with so much class that one would say that they do not commit crimes, if not the opposite: the hedonistic spirit behind their scams is based on a certain poetic justice; They steal because, simply, they are not willing to give up any of the pleasures of life. In other words, they robbed the dark vaults of the capitalist system to reinvest it in beauty (travel, food, clothing, art ...). And all without losing your composure.

How to collect the witness in 2018, once the Clooney stage is closed? No doubt about it: it's the girls' turn. The boy band of the Nespresso ambassador gives way to the buddies of Sandra Bullock: Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson ... Thus to form a group of eight actresses with disparate charisma and diverse characters in pursuit of inclusion. Bullock puts on the skin of Debbie Ocean, sister of the Danny Ocean that interpreted its companion of fatigues in Gravity. And as such, he comes to us: out of jail on parole, with a plan in his head and a team to recruit. The Ocean genetics. At his side, an electric Cate Blanchett assumes the role that Pitt played in his day, the right hand of the leader. Owner of a bar (discarding presentation), with a pimp point that the sophisticated Australian fits with obvious enjoyment and lends to all emulate Kristen Stewart in the last edition of the Cannes Festival. And if before the goal was the casinos, now it will be a Cartier pendant valued at 150 million dollars, one of the jewels of the most chic and exclusive event of the North American fashion, the Gala MET. An object of desire with which the character incarnated by a fabulous Anne Hathaway, who parodies her diva image ends up taking the film as who does not want the thing, in what constitutes without a doubt the most satisfactory theft of all the footage.

All the elements that made the saga famous are in front of the screen. But by the time Bullock puts into practice an ingenious method to sneak into luxury hotels we will realize that something is definitely missing, and that absence must be sought behind the cameras: the direction of Gary Ross is flat where Steven Soderbergh was all garbo . The functional classicism of the director of The Hunger Games finds its natural place in productions - notables - like Seabiscuit or Jones' free men, but in Ocean's 8 it shows a certainty that we already had learned when comparing the Clooney trilogy with the Sinatra original : Beyond the costumes, the locations and their stars, it was the Soderbergh factor that managed to turn a fetishistic nonsense into a sly escapism game of assumed frivolity that seduced the viewer constantly. A bubbling montage, a grainy photograph of beautiful old school colors, seventies zooms, fun with framing, the dreamy soundtrack of David Holmes ... A sparkling gift that is left out of the equation here and leaves the seams of a Costly suit dress without conviction. In a moment of Ocean's 8, through a funny trick orchestrated by Bullock and Blanchett, the dressmaker played by Bonham Carter will go from being "outdated" to being "iconic". It is, therefore, about putting value. In this case, staging.

The vaunted genre subversion that so many characters have spilled on the internet is also worth highlighting. There is no doubt that the strategy is, above all, of a commercial nature; the industrial machinery of Hollywood trying again to monetize everything that crosses him in front. And according to the blockbuster that already accumulates in the United States, the play has gone well. But even the revenue that capitalism tries to get out of the feminist 'zeitgeist' we can get something positive: the mere questioning of twisted fang with which on the Internet is received female reboots like the Ghostbusters of Kristen Wiig and justifies its own existence. The pity is that Ross is too shy when it comes to playing with a certain idea of ​​"the feminine", as Soderbergh did with Clooney's gang and "the masculine", always with one foot in self-parody. A failed opportunity, because it will be, precisely, when you take advantage of the particularities of having a story starring a cast of women where we find the most refreshing of this Ocean's 8. Perhaps, these female reboots would have to start hiring a director.