OCEAN'S THIRTEEN (2007)
This is an opportunity to write about both an interesting director, and an interesting film.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the brightest lights working in American film. At 43 years of age, he is a quadruple threat as a writer, director, cinematographer, and editor. Few directors have an easier time drawing top talent to work in their films. Yet he is unafraid to work with non-actors and unknowns, to dabble in unabashedly experimental filmmaking, to turn away from easy money and well-traveled roads, and to constantly challenge himself (and film audiences) with something entirely different. To compare him with his peers, he has a better work ethic than Quentin Tarantino (also 43), is less eager to please than Joel and Ethan Coen (53 and 49), and has a better popular touch than Spike Lee (50).[1]
I was fifteen when Soderbergh first drew the public eye with his breakthrough indie, SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989). As an incurably horny teenager, I saw it as soon as I could, and was disappointed to discover a somewhat cold psychological think-piece with no explicit sex or nudity.[2] I believe I owe it a second look. I missed his next five, commercially unsuccessful, films. Then Soderbergh made a conscious decision, in his words, “to try and climb my way out of the arthouse ghetto, which can be as much of a trap as making blockbuster films.” His next two films blew me away. OUT OF SIGHT (1998) and THE LIMEY (1999) are two of my favorite films of the last decade.
These films combine gripping crime plots with smart visuals, naturalistic acting, and Soderbergh’s exceptional gift for narrative. They feature some of film’s great performers-George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Terrance Stamp, Peter Fonda, and others-doing some of their best work. Though they never received the audience they deserved (rent them!), these films put Soderbergh back on Hollywood’s map and positioned him to score a coup with his next two films-he became the only director in the modern era to receive two Oscar nominations for Best Director in the same year.[3] ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) and TRAFFIC (2000)-two terrific films-were each nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Soderbergh won the Director award for TRAFFIC, and Julia Roberts, Benicio del Toro, and Stephen Gaghan each got their Oscars for their association with these films. The world was at Soderbergh’s feet.
And what did he do with this triumph? He used it to make niche experimental art films like SOLARIS (2002), FULL FRONTAL (2002), and BUBBLE (2005). Isn’t that what you would have done? I have seen the first two of these, and they are truly not aimed at more than about twenty people.[4] They are for extremely discriminating audiences. I will call them challenging, and worthy of study, and leave it at that.
During this time, Soderbergh kept himself at least marginally within the good graces of the Hollywood establishment by making a trilogy of commercially winsome blockbusters: OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001), OCEAN’S TWELVE (2004), and now OCEAN’S THIRTEEN. The first of these was a remake of a dated (and to me, barely watchable) 1960 Frank Sinatra Rat Pack vehicle. I don’t know how the remake will age, but contemporary audiences found the glitzy Las Vegas casino heist story to be as tasty as the big stars that headlined the production-George Clooney (again), Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon. It is a sign of the esteem in which Soderbergh is held that he has managed to hold his large cast together (minus Julia Roberts, now raising three young’uns, who does not return for THIRTEEN) for two sequels, and that actors like Matt Damon and Don Cheadle-who these days are invariably headliners in increasingly prestigious films-are still willing to play second and third banana for him.
But to say that the OCEAN’S films are popular, and even designed to be popular, does not mean that they lack artistic merit. On the contrary. They are tour de force. Soderbergh turns celebrity into his subject. The entertainment business and the public’s relationship with the wealthy and famous has changed so much since 1960, it is changing all the time. What does movie stardom mean today? What does being cool mean today? How does morality fit into a context of conspicuous consumption and superstardom? Soderbergh does more than explore these questions; he creates the answers; defines them for a new generation. The OCEAN’S films have conventional heist/caper plots, but they are not about those plots. They are about generational change, about responsibility, about character and about personality. Soderbergh is working in a dead genre and making it new again. And he does it in an extremely visual fashion, with a painter’s eye for modern shapes, lines, images, keeping a very specific palette, amazingly, in the context of giant expensive production. There are plot elements in the OCEAN’S films which are hackneyed, and deliberately so. But I believe the series is quite innovative, and important.
How does THIRTEEN fit into the series? It’s a throwback to the first film, as the multigenerational OCEAN gang, now free from any need to work or pull off new jobs, assembles again in Las Vegas to hit a casino again. It’s not about money or reputation, but about honor as they target gambling mogul Willie Bank (Al Pacino, fantastic), who cries out for a comeuppance after his shabby treatment of their pal Reuben (Elliot Gould). Violence is off the table, but a sense of justice requires that they pull out all the stops, moving Heaven and earth (literally) to ruin the debut of Bank’s new mega-casino. There are disguises and gadgets, and a more generous distribution of roles compared to past installments, as each member of the crew is given at least a few juicy scenes to play. The heist itself is less clever than it was in ELEVEN, and the film lacks the moxie of TWELVE, the difficult middle child and my favorite of the three. The visuals are great, however, and the movie is consistently fun.
I need to catch up with BUBBLE (2005) and THE GOOD GERMAN (2006). Soderbergh is now filming a biopic of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevera, which again promises to be something completely different.
[1] How old are the older guard of prestigious working American directors? Steven Spielberg is 60, Clint Eastwood 76, Martin Scorsese 64, and Woody Allen 71.
[2] The title of FULL FRONTAL (2002) similarly offers an empty promise.
[3] The other director with two Best Director Oscar nominations in the same year is Michael Curtiz, for ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938). The award that year went to Frank Capra for YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938). Curtiz would later win for CASABLANCA (1943).
[4] Nevertheless, SOLARIS and FULL FRONTAL star George Clooney and Julia Roberts, respectively, among other luminaries. FULL FRONTAL was made for $2 million and the following instructions were attached to the screenplay:
• 1. All sets are practical locations.
• 2. You will drive yourself to the set. If you are unable to drive yourself, a driver will pick you up, but you will probably become the subject of ridicule. Either way, you must arrive alone.
• 3. There will be no craft service, so you should arrive on set "having had". Meals will vary in quality.
• 4. You will pick, provide, and maintain your own wardrobe.
• 5. You will create and maintain your own hair and make-up.
• 6. There will be no trailers. The company will attempt to provide holding areas near a given location, but don't count on it. If you need to be alone a lot, you're pretty much screwed.
• 7. Improvisation will be encouraged.
• 8. You will be interviewed about your character. This material may end up in the film.
• 9. You will be interviewed about the other characters. This material may end up in the finished film.
• 10. You will have fun whether you want to or not. If any of these guidelines are problematic for you, stop reading now and send this screenplay back where it came from.
Although there were several huge film stars in his cast, Soderbergh deliberately paired Julia Roberts with Blair Underwood, a television actor. He freely admits that the film was an experiment in thwarting every audience expectation he could find.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the brightest lights working in American film. At 43 years of age, he is a quadruple threat as a writer, director, cinematographer, and editor. Few directors have an easier time drawing top talent to work in their films. Yet he is unafraid to work with non-actors and unknowns, to dabble in unabashedly experimental filmmaking, to turn away from easy money and well-traveled roads, and to constantly challenge himself (and film audiences) with something entirely different. To compare him with his peers, he has a better work ethic than Quentin Tarantino (also 43), is less eager to please than Joel and Ethan Coen (53 and 49), and has a better popular touch than Spike Lee (50).[1]
I was fifteen when Soderbergh first drew the public eye with his breakthrough indie, SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989). As an incurably horny teenager, I saw it as soon as I could, and was disappointed to discover a somewhat cold psychological think-piece with no explicit sex or nudity.[2] I believe I owe it a second look. I missed his next five, commercially unsuccessful, films. Then Soderbergh made a conscious decision, in his words, “to try and climb my way out of the arthouse ghetto, which can be as much of a trap as making blockbuster films.” His next two films blew me away. OUT OF SIGHT (1998) and THE LIMEY (1999) are two of my favorite films of the last decade.
These films combine gripping crime plots with smart visuals, naturalistic acting, and Soderbergh’s exceptional gift for narrative. They feature some of film’s great performers-George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Terrance Stamp, Peter Fonda, and others-doing some of their best work. Though they never received the audience they deserved (rent them!), these films put Soderbergh back on Hollywood’s map and positioned him to score a coup with his next two films-he became the only director in the modern era to receive two Oscar nominations for Best Director in the same year.[3] ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000) and TRAFFIC (2000)-two terrific films-were each nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Soderbergh won the Director award for TRAFFIC, and Julia Roberts, Benicio del Toro, and Stephen Gaghan each got their Oscars for their association with these films. The world was at Soderbergh’s feet.
And what did he do with this triumph? He used it to make niche experimental art films like SOLARIS (2002), FULL FRONTAL (2002), and BUBBLE (2005). Isn’t that what you would have done? I have seen the first two of these, and they are truly not aimed at more than about twenty people.[4] They are for extremely discriminating audiences. I will call them challenging, and worthy of study, and leave it at that.
During this time, Soderbergh kept himself at least marginally within the good graces of the Hollywood establishment by making a trilogy of commercially winsome blockbusters: OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001), OCEAN’S TWELVE (2004), and now OCEAN’S THIRTEEN. The first of these was a remake of a dated (and to me, barely watchable) 1960 Frank Sinatra Rat Pack vehicle. I don’t know how the remake will age, but contemporary audiences found the glitzy Las Vegas casino heist story to be as tasty as the big stars that headlined the production-George Clooney (again), Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon. It is a sign of the esteem in which Soderbergh is held that he has managed to hold his large cast together (minus Julia Roberts, now raising three young’uns, who does not return for THIRTEEN) for two sequels, and that actors like Matt Damon and Don Cheadle-who these days are invariably headliners in increasingly prestigious films-are still willing to play second and third banana for him.
But to say that the OCEAN’S films are popular, and even designed to be popular, does not mean that they lack artistic merit. On the contrary. They are tour de force. Soderbergh turns celebrity into his subject. The entertainment business and the public’s relationship with the wealthy and famous has changed so much since 1960, it is changing all the time. What does movie stardom mean today? What does being cool mean today? How does morality fit into a context of conspicuous consumption and superstardom? Soderbergh does more than explore these questions; he creates the answers; defines them for a new generation. The OCEAN’S films have conventional heist/caper plots, but they are not about those plots. They are about generational change, about responsibility, about character and about personality. Soderbergh is working in a dead genre and making it new again. And he does it in an extremely visual fashion, with a painter’s eye for modern shapes, lines, images, keeping a very specific palette, amazingly, in the context of giant expensive production. There are plot elements in the OCEAN’S films which are hackneyed, and deliberately so. But I believe the series is quite innovative, and important.
How does THIRTEEN fit into the series? It’s a throwback to the first film, as the multigenerational OCEAN gang, now free from any need to work or pull off new jobs, assembles again in Las Vegas to hit a casino again. It’s not about money or reputation, but about honor as they target gambling mogul Willie Bank (Al Pacino, fantastic), who cries out for a comeuppance after his shabby treatment of their pal Reuben (Elliot Gould). Violence is off the table, but a sense of justice requires that they pull out all the stops, moving Heaven and earth (literally) to ruin the debut of Bank’s new mega-casino. There are disguises and gadgets, and a more generous distribution of roles compared to past installments, as each member of the crew is given at least a few juicy scenes to play. The heist itself is less clever than it was in ELEVEN, and the film lacks the moxie of TWELVE, the difficult middle child and my favorite of the three. The visuals are great, however, and the movie is consistently fun.
I need to catch up with BUBBLE (2005) and THE GOOD GERMAN (2006). Soderbergh is now filming a biopic of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevera, which again promises to be something completely different.
[1] How old are the older guard of prestigious working American directors? Steven Spielberg is 60, Clint Eastwood 76, Martin Scorsese 64, and Woody Allen 71.
[2] The title of FULL FRONTAL (2002) similarly offers an empty promise.
[3] The other director with two Best Director Oscar nominations in the same year is Michael Curtiz, for ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938). The award that year went to Frank Capra for YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938). Curtiz would later win for CASABLANCA (1943).
[4] Nevertheless, SOLARIS and FULL FRONTAL star George Clooney and Julia Roberts, respectively, among other luminaries. FULL FRONTAL was made for $2 million and the following instructions were attached to the screenplay:
• 1. All sets are practical locations.
• 2. You will drive yourself to the set. If you are unable to drive yourself, a driver will pick you up, but you will probably become the subject of ridicule. Either way, you must arrive alone.
• 3. There will be no craft service, so you should arrive on set "having had". Meals will vary in quality.
• 4. You will pick, provide, and maintain your own wardrobe.
• 5. You will create and maintain your own hair and make-up.
• 6. There will be no trailers. The company will attempt to provide holding areas near a given location, but don't count on it. If you need to be alone a lot, you're pretty much screwed.
• 7. Improvisation will be encouraged.
• 8. You will be interviewed about your character. This material may end up in the film.
• 9. You will be interviewed about the other characters. This material may end up in the finished film.
• 10. You will have fun whether you want to or not. If any of these guidelines are problematic for you, stop reading now and send this screenplay back where it came from.
Although there were several huge film stars in his cast, Soderbergh deliberately paired Julia Roberts with Blair Underwood, a television actor. He freely admits that the film was an experiment in thwarting every audience expectation he could find.