"Oceans 8" debuted back in the summer of 2018. I saw it in theaters and I only had good things to say about it. It's got a phenomenal, almost entirely female, badass cast.
I rewatched this film the other day and noticed a few things that really stuck with me. Here are a few.
Sandra Bullock, who plays Debbie Ocean, was in prison for over 5 years only to be released and take her $45 dollars to a mall. Are you following? Okay, so get this.
I don't condone shoplifting, but seeing the work of art that IS Debbie Ocean saunter into several stores and walk out with bags of things she didn't pay for was a highlight. What all women can take from this particular moment is not how to shoplift, but instead how to be confident. She carried herself with just purpose and looked phenomenal whilst doing so.
Another scene that I loved was when Debbie and Lou, Cate Blanchett's character, were reunited. The two used to work on a team together, and seeing their first few interactions on the screen made me so happy. They reminded me of me and my best friends. We tease each other, we go out to eat, we rob the MET Gala — no wait, not that last one. But you get my point.
As I previously mentioned, this cast is amazing. From Mindy Kaling, who plays Amita, to my girl Rihanna, Nine Ball, the whole film is filled with great one-liners and interactions between women from all walks of life who work together to get. ish. done.
When we're first introduced to Amita, she is working and living with her mother. Debbie finds her and asks how long it would take her to make seven pieces of jewelry if the stones were already cut to which Amita responds, "Probably five or six hours." Debbie, knowing Amita's situation, then poses the follow-up question, "How long if I told you you didn't have to live with your mother anymore?" Amita's response is priceless. "Less."
One minor problem Debbie and her right-hand lady Lou run into is right at the beginning of the film. They need a designer to demand that Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), the host of the MET Gala this year, wears a very famous, very expensive heirloom diamond necklace, the Toussaint with her outfit. The whole plot of the film is the intricate planning and execution of the heist. Rose Weis, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is a rather tragic and "iconic" designer is in deep with the IRS. She needs a lot of money to pay off all of her debts. Debbie and Lou find her. She was perfect. It only takes a staged photo in the tabloids and a very jealous Daphne Kluger to see it, and the team is in.
Because the diamond is literally 6 lbs of pure gem, another essential member of the team was needed to find equipment to create a replica necklace. Who better than a suburban mom running an illegal operation out of her garage? Sarah Paulson's character, Tammy, was one of my favorite members of the squad. She loved her home life and kids, but something was missing, and she was desperate to "get back in the game."
Debbie seeks her out and Tammy is back in action. She works her way into a job as one of the coordinators for the MET Gala, being the team's eyes and ears on the inside. It is with her insight that Nine Ball can get into the system and begin to make changes to the security for the event.
The final(ish) and most #relatable member of the team is Constance, played by the talented and equally as #relatable Awkwafina. Constance is a 20-something pick-pocketer and street entertainer who has the smoothest hands like, ever. She is the one who slyly removes the necklace from Daphne's neck and plants in a mule. All of the women evade the police and are in the clear.
At the end of the film, Debbie reveals that Daphne was looped in on the rouse later on in the planning. So instead of 7 criminal ladies, there are 8, who work together and steal not only one necklace, but an entire room full of crown jewels as people run around looking for one necklace. A really complex, genius plan that all eight women needed to be a part of in order to succeed.
This film is beautiful, funny, suspenseful, and makes you feel empowered. A hacker, an ex-con, a motorcyclist, a pick-pocketer, a mom, a celebrity, a jeweler, and a designer all work together and end up millionaires.
10/10 would definitely recommend.
