Name: The Ocean's Eleven Story
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2001-11-22
Duration: 1 h 10 min
Rating: 6.8
Cast: Joey Bishop, Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr.

Sometimes a documentary doesn't have to be very well put together. It doesn't have to even be a very competent story if the story is so rich that you can skip from point to point and fill in the gaps yourself.

This is ostensibly the story of the making of the film, "Oceans 11." That story is simple: Sinatra was eager to make the most money he could, and gain the highest fame available for the least work. So, with his buddies he devised a scheme to make a movie about robbing casinos while working for one. We hear how difficult he was.

But the story ranges far and wide.

It covers the rise of Las Vegas as the gambling and prostitution capital of the country and the role Sinatra played. This includes the story of bringing organized crime to a new level of power and influence in the country. And this story leads to the story of how organized crime arranged to get JFK elected, and how subsequently Lawford provided Mob-supplied girls to the president and his brother, until RFK started the first real campaign against organized crime. And then an enraged Sinatra was out of the White House.

It also touches on the role Lawford played in getting Marilyn Monroe into the president's bed, but only slightly. And it does mention that he was the last to see her, but refrains from reporting various theories about her death.

We do see how offensively misogynistic and selfish, and thuggish he was. It isn't pointed out; in fact, the voice overs (which include Walter Cronkite) are uniformly celebratory. But its grindingly obvious that these people are not worthy of our attention.

There is a side story though, that is pretty heartbreaking. Sammy Davis Jr really was a talented guy, and never afraid of working for the hearts of an audience. But he fell in love with a white woman. Its hard to fathom that even someone at his level was not allowed to eat, sleep or play in the very places where he entertained. But even more engaging is the story about how he postponed his marriage to help JFK with the election. And how he attended a fund raiser for Martin Luther King rather than attend JFK's inauguration. 

We might have followed this man in this documentary instead of Frank. But that's life.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

A behind-the-scenes look at how Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack made a movie, did two shows a night, got a president elected and made the city of Las Vegas world famous while never letting the party stop.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

See which big screen releases you can watch from the comfort of your couch.

Theatrical Releases Coming to Streaming

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

John Gielgud, Gregory Peck, and Christopher Plummer in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)

Frank Sinatra, Angie Dickinson, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford in Ocean's Eleven (1960)

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia in Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Casey Affleck, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Eddie Jemison, and Shaobo Qin in Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Sandra Bullock, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Awkwafina in Ocean's Eight (2018)

The Ocean's Eleven Story

Photos

Top Cast9

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed