Somewhere near the end of Ocean’s 8, I choked up a little. Surprised and a little embarrassed by my tears, I stayed in my seat as the credits rolled and the theater cleared out.
It took me a minute to compose myself when the movie was over, and another for me to assess why, exactly, I was moved by a heist flick. Usually, action + fashion + slick moves = box office dollars, and not much in the way of an emotional journey. However, Ocean’s 8 features an almost all-female cast. James Corden offers some comic relief, and Richard Armitage plays another hapless dude, but he’s mostly eye candy. The rest of the time, though, we get to watch tigresses prowl the screen. And it’s so damn satisfying.
Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett anchor a cast of eight fierce female criminals out to commit the greatest heist of the Ocean’s franchise yet. The previous incarnations of the Ocean’s gang (led by George Clooney as smooth criminal Danny Ocean in the Ocean’s trilogy) are paid homage to, and then quickly set aside. Sandra Bullock, as Danny’s slick sister Debbie Ocean, has just gotten out of prison, and she’s got some scores to settle.
The film unfolds like a mink coat dropping off the shoulders of a Hollywood starlet: lusciously and tantalizingly—and while you don’t want it to end, you can’t wait to see what’s underneath. The cast of Ocean’s 8 has a fantastic time teasing out the quirks of their respective characters. Bullock is the mastermind in charge of a gorgeous bunch of good-hearted crooks, including Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway—and Rihanna.
Honestly, Rihanna’s performance in Ocean’s 8