Rewatchables Reference

• The poker scene – being in on the joke that a bunch of people in the scene are not in on is an incredible feeling. Visually distinct from the rest of the movie with its dark lighting. Chris's pick.
• Danny and Tess's first dinner – Julia Roberts on 11, nailing every line. A standalone scene that showcases the writing and their chemistry.
• The 'House Always Wins' speech – 'Play long enough, you never change the stakes, the house takes you. Unless, when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big and then you take the house.' 'Been practicing that speech?' 'A little bit. Did I rush it? Felt like I rushed it.'
• The Clair de Lune fountain scene at the end – very still, very few faces, the band is breaking up and it's a beautiful endnote on a really well-executed movie.
• The three Vegas robbery montage with 'Take My Breath Away' playing over Clooney's monologue.
• Reuben's introduction and his 'you're still in the middle of the fucking desert' speech.

• The tone – the movie still feels fresh. The bits don't come off as chauvinistic or obnoxious. The guys seem self-effacing rather than privileged.
• George Clooney's suits – navy and gray, open shirt collar, reserved compared to Pitt's loudness. The perfect frame, perfect height, perfect hair, perfect tailoring.
• The heist – the technology and mechanics still seem entirely plausible almost 20 years later. Smart or lucky (maybe both) that it's not overly tech-dependent.
• The 'getting the gang together' sequence – it reinvented the genre and has been ripped off aggressively for 15 years. The Grease Man setup where they have to observe him at Barnum's is patently absurd but really sings.

• Brad Pitt's ties specifically. Everything else is kind of for character, but the ties are rough.
• The vision of Las Vegas – it's closer to the Rat Pack/Frank Sinatra version than the 2018 pool party DJ Pauly D version. The Bellagio is maybe not quite as powerful as it's made to seem.

• Luke and Owen Wilson were originally slated to play the Malloy Brothers (eventually Casey Affleck and Scott Caan). They had to shoot 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. Would have been an infusion of Bottle Rocket into 'Ocean's Eleven' – more emphasis on pitter-patter dialogue, and bigger profiles that might have taken shine from the top three.
• Joel and Ethan Coen were also reportedly up for the Malloy Brothers. The idea of the Coens going in front of the camera feels highly implausible.
• Ralph Fiennes was in contention for Terry Benedict. Too close to The English Patient energy – you'd start wondering if maybe you should weigh your options instead of rooting for Danny.
• Alan Arkin was originally going to play Saul (the Elliott Gould role).
• Mike Myers was attached to the cast at one point.
• Johnny Depp was listed as playing Linus in early reporting. Not quite the right frequency – can't imagine him wearing glasses and a baseball hat and getting dunked on.
• Mark Wahlberg was also attached to play Linus before going off to do Planet of the Apes.
• Bruce Willis was at one point in contention for Danny Ocean – an entirely different movie.

• Nominees: Elliott Gould, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan & Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, Bernie Mac.
• Chris goes with Elliott Gould – connective tissue to the 70s films Soderbergh is referencing. A rich Vegas vestige of the Rat Pack era who does such a good job of communicating 'what if the Rat Pack guys just got old.'
• Amanda goes with Julia Roberts – she's on screen for maybe eight minutes but it feels like so much more. An undercurrent of disdain and impatience that animates the entire performance.
• Sean appreciates Bernie Mac – every line of dialogue is really fun, his encounter with the van dealership guy is incredible and feels like it's operating in a different movie.

• Brad Pitt – yes, unanimously. Never loved him more than as Rusty Ryan. The closest you'll ever get to knowing what it's like to hang out with Brad Pitt. The most charming he's ever been, and the least 'actory.'
• George Clooney – debated. Amanda says not quite (ER catapulted him, 'The Perfect Storm' means a lot). Sean and Chris think this is where preternatural cool is the whole point, but split the vote with 'Out of Sight'. The only real franchise he's ever had besides the 'Batman' movie people want to forget.
• Matt Damon – no. 'Good Will Hunting' and 'The Bourne Identity' are higher.
• Steven Soderbergh – debated. Sean says no (loves The Limey and his small movies more). Amanda says yes – this is the thesis statement for his understanding of moviegoing enjoyment. Juliet goes 'Out of Sight'.

• Soderbergh considered shooting the film in black and white.
• All the code names (a Boesky, a Jim Brown, Miss Daisy, Leon Spinks, an Ella Fitzgerald) correspond to actual elements of the heist in the movie.
• Julia Roberts was making $20 million a picture. Clooney sent her the script with a $20 bill and a note: 'I hear you're getting 20 a picture now.'
• Don Cheadle was unbilled in 'Ocean's Eleven' due to a dispute over his credit placement. He has said he would have done it for free but is glad he didn't.
• They shot Clooney's monologue scene about 100 times over two nights for coverage of all nine people.

• The rebuilt vault/warehouse appears to be no more than 300 feet from the actual Bellagio – you can see the Bellagio Fountains right behind it. In a city full of surveillance, nobody noticed construction materials across the street?
• The entire heist is dependent on very specific things happening exactly right: Damon pickpocketing Benedict, the specific bouncer selling that he's been beating up Clooney for 30-40 minutes without anyone wondering if the guy is dead, the SWAT call being intercepted.
• There are essentially only three security guys manning the cameras, watching the vault, and calling the fake doctor (who turns out to be Brad Pitt).
• The Lyman Zerga subplot – the likelihood of a person with no credentials and no known identity getting that much time with the owner of a casino is a stretch. (Though Juliet argues Vegas is vapid enough that flashing money gets you far.)
• The casinos allowed the movie to be filmed inside – so there's no way this is how a casino vault actually works.

• Don Cheadle's cockney accent – legit terrible. He agreed it was bad and tried to change it in Ocean's Twelve and Thirteen but the producers wouldn't let him.
• Matt Damon plays uncomfortable a little too uncomfortably – he's supposed to be squirrely but he's trying a little too hard to get the banter and the rhythm.
• Andy Garcia is discussed but the consensus is he's not over-the-top. He's a quiet, fine villain who speaks in a very low tone and doesn't take up too much space.

Danny Trejo – absolutely not, the movie is perfect. But he could have played Bruiser, the guy who beats up Clooney.

• Amanda and Juliet say Brad Pitt – so effervescent and understated and perfect. He's an astonishing sidekick, and unlike Clooney, he doesn't get this kind of role often.
• Sean says George Clooney – this is his biggest hit ever (besides Gravity), his only real franchise, and the movie does not work without him at the center. One of the only movies where preternatural cool is the whole point, and he's just so good at that.