Review: I'd just like to start by saying that, I do not like Julia Roberts. I think she's the biggest piece of fluff in Hollywood. When I first saw the trailer for this film, it reeled me in from the start. Soderbergh, Clooney, Pitt, Garcia, David Holmes (good, good, good..) AND Julia Roberts.

Aw, now why'd ya have to go and do that, I said. There is an overflowing stock of eligible actresses that could have played that part. If Soderbergh was going to use an actress from a former project, why not Jennifer Lopez; at least you know she and Clooney have chemistry (Out of Sight).

But, I decided to see the movie still. I figured when someone's billed 'AND so and so', they're usually only in a few scenes.

So, Ocean's Eleven is a good movie with a great cast, leads and supporting. And I must admit Clooney and Roberts did have some chemistry and scenes where they interact were fraught with snappy dialogue.

Danny Ocean (George Clooney) gets released from prison and immediately pulls together a crew of ten other men, including out-of-action thief Dusty Ryan, (Brad Pitt) young pickpocket Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon). Together, they plan an intricate heist to simultaneously rob three casinos owned by cutthroat millionaire Harry Benedict (Andy Garcia). The plot thickens when Danny's ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts) is found to be now seeing Benedict. While not a spectacular film, it is very entertaining. A strong supporting cast, including Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner and Don Cheadle make this a tight ensemble piece. The film is scored nicely by David Holmes (you might find yourself tapping your foot in some points) and there are a few cameos thrown in for good measure.

This, however, is one of those films that lack that extra something that makes good movies great. It's hard (as it usually is) to pin down what the reason is. One point I can bring up is that they don't do enough to make you hate Andy Garcia's character. I mean, he's rich and powerful, but they don't really take the time to make him look evil. So really, towards the end you're rooting for 'the Eleven' because Clooney and company are just a more likeable bunch.

In conclusion, Ocean's Eleven is definitely worth a look.

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Copyright© Written By: Tom Servo
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The DVD Review:

O.K.
You liked the movie.
Well then, this DVD is worth the cash. While not overloaded with cut scenes or out takes etc. all of these missing elements are explained within the commentaries.

The first commentary is hosted by Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Brad Pitt…personally I think you could have dropped Garcia (no offence) and would have loved to hear what Clooney might have to say…but as it is Damon and Pitt tell you all sorts of behind the scenes anecdotes while being so upbeat it's a fun listen.

The second commentary is much more interesting though. It's more of a conversation between Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Ted Griffith while the film plays as they discuss how the movie was made, reasons they shot one way, why they had to take some cuts and turns as they did etc. It starts a little slow but as the movie progresses the explanations and ideas conveyed become much more interesting.

How they got the rights to shoot where they did, what was improvised, how Soderbergh decided to go with certain one shots over a series of editing or dropping of humor and lines of dialogue to keep the rhythm going.

On both commentaries they also discuss Jerry Weintraub (the producer) who sounds like a movie character himself. A man who can get the casino's for the shots that Soderbergh needed, a man who calls the writer Shakespeare and a man that Matt Damon does a killer impression of.

There is also a featurette that is worth checking out due to the behind the scenes footage which can take the place of out takes and also displays some original footage that would end up either changed or cut. For example the implosion of the casino is shown and it was originally the casino New York casino but after 9/11 they decided to go with the Xanadu.

Again, like I said at the beginning. If you liked the movie…this is worth the buck and worth adding to the collection. If you hated the movie then what the hell are you doing reading this you masochist?