Like the trilogy of Clooney Ocean movies, the emphasis with Ocean’s 8 is on a world of elegance and style. “ Five years, eight months, and five days,” replies Debbie, “ Give or take.” “ How long did it take you to work this out?” asks one of the gang, Amita the jewelry maker (Mindy Kaling). The next step is to gather together her team of larcenous ladies who will meticulously rehearse what’s required to steal a Cartier diamond necklace, one that’s worth $150 million, and spread the wealth equally among themselves. A saleslady even gives her the bag with which to carry everything through the Exit.Īfter that, without missing a beat, she cleverly extends the stay of an unwitting couple who had just booked out of a hotel and moves into their room. The moment she walks out, back into the real world with little more than a handful of dollars in her pocket, she heads straight to Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman and ingeniously cons the store out of giving her a handful of expensive beauty products. “ If I were to be released,” Debbie explains to a parole board after serving more than five years at the New Jersey Women’s Prison, “ I would just want the simple life.” She then adds, “ You know, pay the bills.” Of course, she’s lying. She’s Debbie Ocean, sister to George Clooney’s Danny Ocean (the Sinatra role in the original) and it’s clear from the outset that being a criminal is in the family Ocean DNA.
Originally inspired by the 1960 heist movie Ocean’s 11 with Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Las Vegas Rat Pack, Ocean’s 8 begins and ends with Sandra Bullock. Knowing Hollywood’s lack of enthusiasm for risk-taking and a studio’s desire for easily identifiable franchises, consider it a given. And given how the story concludes, depending on box-office reception and overall popularity, the whole thing will no doubt continue to spin in a new direction at least to a 9, maybe even a 10. Much of the marketing for director Gary Ross’ all-female ensemble cast of the heist comedy Ocean’s 8 refers to the film as being the fourth in the Ocean’s series.