You might be wondering if we really need another Ocean’s movie, even if the stiletto is on the other foot and an almost all female cast attempts the ultimate heist for which the franchise is famous.

After all, those are huge shoes to fill, worn originally by the incomparable Rat Pack in 1960’s Ocean’s 11, and then by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Elliott Gould, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia et al in Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen.

Can their female equivalents, embodied by Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson and Awkwafina pull it off with comparable elan? We saw how well a mostly female cast worked in Ghostbusters 2016, non?

But I am thrilled to report that the girls killed it! They start it out right in the very beginning, introducing Bullock’s character Debbie as the ex-con who is attempting to don the slippery mantle of her recently deceased brother, Danny Ocean, 

She unites a merry band of specialists to steal the priceless jewels right off the neck of famous movie star Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) at the ultra chic Met Gala. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s clever, it’s fun, it’s frolicsome, it’s even vaguely suspenseful, but I wish it were a little more so. Perhaps some extra bite or sharper edge could have strengthened it. Though there are myriad clever twists and surprises, everything goes a little too smoothly for my gritty taste.

I would have liked to see some of the rivalry that marks the other iterations, although I understand why producer/writer/director Gary Ross (Big, Dave, Seabiscuit, The Hunger Games) seemed to be invested in making this a girl power movie where, for the most part, they cheerfully support each other.

And to answer the question that so many of you have been asking, yes, men will like it too. There’s plenty of fun for the whole family, actually, since it’s rated PG-13. Go see it with a group of besties, no matter what gender, and support the effort for equity in Hollywood. Or maybe just to have a fun night out at the movies.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 50 Minutes