9 Movies That Weren't As Smart As They Pretended To Be
4. Oceans Twelve Flat Out Lies So It Can Surprise You
A character played by Julia Roberts looks like Julia Roberts. That is a key plot point in Oceans Twelve and rather than a self-aware wink its a case of self congratulating backslapping as a faux-wry observation becomes the films centrepiece. As much as the draw is seeing Brad Pitt and George Clooney suave their way through an adventure, the Oceans films survive on their plots that balance being whip smart and cheerily smug. You cant deny Steven Soderbergh's ambition in making the second movies story more of a caper than the first, but he didnt shift the style to fit, ending up with something that looked ridiculous, yet retained the smugness. Any film that relies on the audience never being fully on the same page as the characters needs to be working at the top of its game to be smarter than the viewer. Julia Roberts-gate is just one example what Ocean's Twelve isn't. Take the Fabergé egg twist. Set up as is impossible to steal due to incredibly high security, we learn Vincent Cassels Night Fox stole it because he could dodge the securities lasers (he was doing yoga earlier, which is rather half-hearted foreshadowing). Thats not tricking the audience, thats lying. And lying isnt smart kids (or cool). All that without even mentioning Bruce Willis career send up cameo, probably because the next film did it much worse.
