The Ocean's series rests on the notion that crime is fun and that criminals are just like the rest of us, only better looking. Ocean's Thirteen cartwheels further into a moral abyss by building the main plot around Reuben Tishkoff (a dottering Elliot Gould) who is arrested in a Chris Hansen “To Catch a Predator” sting as the opening credits roll.
Tishkoff almost talks his way out of trouble, claiming he only showed up to warn the little girl about meeting strange men on the Internet. He's doomed, however, when they look through his bag and find wine coolers, condoms, Skittles and an erotic sock puppet that's a cross between Pamela Anderson and Lambchop.
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) rallies the old gang to rescue Tishkoff. They concoct a scheme where Rusty and Linus (Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) infiltrate NBC posing as producers with new shows to pitch. In a meeting with network execs played by Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, Rusty and Linus ad lib a bunch of show ideas. To their shock, they get orders for two pilots, Everybody, Check Your Shoes and Whoever Smelt It Dealt It.
Ocean splits up the gang to work on the pilots. Carl Reiner gets the hosting duties for Everybody, Check Your Shoes while Bernie Mac is the obvious choice to star in Whoever Smelt It Dealt It. Both shows get picked up, with Everybody slotted against American Idol and Smelt pitted against 60 Minutes. Linus is the first to wonder what any of this has to do with getting Tishkoff out of prison. “Out of prison?” Ocean responds, “He's in prison for life. I was just hoping we could get him back his sock puppet.”
As the money starts rolling in, Turk Malloy (Scott Caan) marvels at the idea of the gang going legitimate until Danny Ocean points out, “There's nothing legit about network television.” Director Steven Soderbergh shows he still has his chops as the movie closes with a series of quick cuts between the various gang members laughing and spilling booze on each other.
Subscribe to Feed
