Ocean's 11

After invoking her right to choose any movie she wishes and in the process picking In Her Shoes, my wife next attempted to strike with Marie Antoinette. I politely informed her that she was not required to use her picks on movies that would make me want to claw my eyes out and she kindly changed her pick to Ocean's 11. I love her.
This of course is the George Clooney version of the Ocean's 11 film as I have only once attempted to watch the Sinatra version and I only made it about 10 minutes through the film before shutting it off. The Clooney version of the Ocean's 11 plays sort of like what a superfriends film would be like if their super power was being cool.
Of the 3 Ocean's films that Clooney and company have stared in this is arguably the only one that starts with the intention of being a great film. The other two play out like an excuse for these guys to hang out and the audience's enjoyment hangs on whether or not you like seeing these guys have fun. Thankfully, Ocean's 11 is better than that.
The film centers around the recently paroled Danny Ocean who is looking to make the score of a lifetime. He begins recruiting his super friends starting with Bernie Mac and Brad Pitt and eventually adding Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and so on. The plan is to steal $160 million from a Vegas casino on the night of a heavyweight boxing fight.
But that's not all Danny wants. The casino he plans on hitting just happens to be run by the man who is dating his ex-wife (Julia Roberts) and of course, he wants her back. Is Danny there for the money or the girl?
The film contains plot points that are so absurd there is no point in questioning them (like how did Julia Roberts go from living in New York to dating a casino owner in Vegas anyway), but that doesn't matter. What matters is that these guys have a plan that makes rewatching this film worth it and the execution is so cool that you still have fun every time. I remember seeing this one for the first time with buddies from college and immediately afterwards thinking which one among us is Clooney or Damon (I was Pitt since, you know, he was constantly eating through out). Directed by Steven Soderbergh who was intentionally taking a break from more serious work, the film is a throwback of sorts to movies and movie characters that you wanted to be like after leaving the theater. It is undeniably fun and gives your brain a low grade work out at the same time. It's funny to think that even when there not trying to this group of actors and director can still make one of the best films of their respected careers.