Ocean’s 8, much to critic’s shock and surprise, worked out fine, perhaps better than fine. Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and other great female cast went on to impress the audience, being so reminiscent of the original Ocean’s 11 feel.
Fulfilling the exhilarating thrill of the heist as in the other ‘Ocean’s‘ movies, it, however, was called necessary and unworthy. The reason being that many saw it as ‘piggybacking’ the $1.4 Billion franchise when the makers could have made a separate all-women heist movie. And the movie’s lead Sandra Bullock had a strong response prepared.
Sandra Bullock Told Cate Blanchett To Stop Being Polite
Unequal representation in the film industry is a tale as old as time. While many actors have come forward to protest, things have rarely ever changed. The reason for this lack of change has been many, from society’s misogynist perception to the male-dominated leadership in Hollywood. So when an all-women lead movie was released as a sequel to an all-male movie, there had to be criticism and condemnation. Some critics when on to say,
“It’s frustrating that they always seem to have to piggyback off a male franchise to make any headway.”
While the movie was criticized for leaching off of an already successful George Clooney starrer $1.4 billion franchise, the two lead stars Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett had their response prepared. In an interview, The Proposal actress told Cate Blanchett to stop being civil on the film sets.
“Stop being polite.”
While Blanchett promptly added,
“We need this proportion of men to women on crews…… It’s not just to make women happy for a small moment in time…… It’s a much more creative way to work.”
While the critics continued to pour in, Ocean’s 8 provided a fresh perspective where instead of defying the women not being equal to men narrative, the movie tended to showcase how Ocean’s 8 used this narrative to effortlessly carry out their thrilling heist.
Despite $297 Million Earning, Ocean’s 8 Failed To Meet Feminist Expectations
With a star-studded all-female cast on a heist and earning over $297 million worldwide, one would label Ocean’s 8 as a highly successful film. Despite the commercial success, the movie failed to perform and satisfy feminist expectations. Viewed as a failed opportunity, the movie failed in terms of storyline.
While the movie aimed to move away from the misogynist perspective, it inevitably went right in that direction. The reason being out of all the wonderful things the characters could have heisted, the all-women crew went on to steal a necklace worth millions from the Met Gala, which looked too typical and cliche. Hence, it resulted in many critics calling it shallow and miscalculated.
The movie might not have satisfied most, but it successfully broke away from the curse where a female-led sequel could not lead a male-led franchise.
You can stream Ocean’s 8 on Netflix.
Source: BBC
