Jennifer Lopez Movie:

Editorial Review:
Out of Sight scored critical raves, but its title sums up the theatrical fate of Steven Soderbergh's coolly comic crime caper and misfit romance based on Elmore Leonard's novel. But this is the sort of buried treasure home video was created to rescue.

George Clooney comes into his own as a leading man in the role of inveterate bank robber Jack Foley. Incarcerated, he uses another inmate's prison break as a cover for his own escape. Waiting for him, according to plan, is his partner, Buddy (Ving Rhames). Also waiting for him, not according to plan, is federal agent Karen Sisco (the ravishing Jennifer Lopez). She finds herself disarmed in more ways than one when she is deposited in the getaway car's trunk with Jack. But that doesn't stop her from joining the task force created to capture him, while he plans "one last heist."

Out of Sight is a rich, entertaining film, stylish without being showy, faithful to the integrity of Leonard's potent dialogue and quirky characters, and seamlessly acted by a dream ensemble. Standouts include Albert Brooks as convicted insider trader Richard Ripley, who while in prison brags to the wrong people that he has $5 million in uncut diamonds hidden in his house; Don Cheadle as Maurice (don't call him "Snoopy") Miller, with whom Jack warily teams up to steal said diamonds; Dennis Farina as Karen's protective father (his idea of a birthday gift is a Sig-Hauer .38); and, in unbilled cameos, Michael Keaton, reprising his Jackie Brown role as FBI agent Ray Nicolet, and Samuel L. Jackson.

If you liked Get Shorty and Jackie Brown, you'll find this, well, Out of Sight. --Donald Liebenson

Description of Out of Sight [Region 2]:
Out of Sight was one of the best movies of 1998, but ironically this superior crime comedy was a box-office disappointment. Fortunately the movie can enjoy a long life on home video, where it can be savored by anyone who missed its original release. Making his best film since 1989's sex, lies, and videotape, director Steven Soderbergh pays tribute to the signature wit and intricacy of Elmore Leonard's novel, brilliantly adapted by Scott Frank, the gifted screenwriter who previously adapted Leonard's Get Shorty. The movie's a prime showcase for the talent and chemistry of George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, respectively playing a career bank robber who's escaped from jail and the federal agent who falls for his charms while tracking him down. Soderbergh directs with confident visual flair, shifting time- lines (à la Pulp Fiction) to weave together subplots and maintain vivid focus on Leonard's splendid characters and smooth-as-silk dialogue. While the sexy repartée between Clooney and Lopez recalls the vintage interplay of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Ving Rhames and Steve Zahn add ample comic relief as Clooney's accomplices. Dennis Farina is memorable as Lopez's father, and Albert Brooks is almost unrecognizable as a Wall Street crook whose mansion--and a cache of uncut diamonds--provides the setting for the film's climactic caper. As orchestrated by Soderbergh, the film offers a feast of plot twists and surprises, but it never loses track of its delightful characters and the clever wit that brings them so vividly to life. --Jeff Shannon

Out of Sight [Region 2] Reviews:
Great Caper Flick
2008-06-03 - What great fun this movie is. If you like humor mixed in with your dramas you appreciate this. The chemistry between characters is wonderful.

A really good movie
2008-02-08 - This is a well done movie with Jennifer Lopez when she used to be hot, before she became a self-proclaimed diva. George Clooney is a smoothe character as usual and playing the bad guy you can't help but like. Although a lot of the dialogue feels like they're reading right off the script, it's a good plot and has some good roles, with actors that have come up since this movie was made.

Video trouble
2008-02-03 - It's really tough to distinguish the quality of the movie from the fact that the video is so blurred that it's like having double vision. What is Amazon thinking? Rent this on a real DVD so you don't give yourself a headache.

Where have all the great couples gone?
2007-11-24 - This is a great movie, period.

Steven Soderberg does a wonderful, and inventive adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. The characters feel real, but the funkiness of the character interaction of a Leonard novel is preserved too.

The real star of this show is the chemistry between Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney. Their "opposites attract" routine (started in the trunk of a car) matches Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers at their best (in movies like Top Hat) and creates a sense of empathy and urgency to the movie.

The supporting cast is excellent. Dennis Farina, Michael Keaton, Samuel Jackson, Ving Rhames, etc... Did I mention there is no bad acting in this film?

If you have not watched it before, enjoy and have fun. Old timers like me have already bought a copy for their "desert island" trip



Clooney's Head and Jenn's Body
2007-11-20 - I'll start with the pans. That Soderbergh nonlinear storytelling is annoying. If I thought jumbling the time line of the story would make a big difference, okay, but instead, I got a migraine.

George Clooney is a handsome face and big heads work on TV screens. You need the rest of the body at the megaplex. I couldn't help but notice that the fellow is kind of squatty when he walks. Bogart was short too, but I knew he was gonna explode on a punk for laughs. Clooney just delivers lines. His body is quiet.

Now for the good: Jennifer Lopez is flat out sexy and sultry in this role. I guess every female cop on TV is based on Jenn's late 90's tough chick wearing a mini with a badge. No, it makes no sense, but the guys don't mind.

Elmore Leonard's books transfer to the big screen fine. Ya can't beat a good Florida caper flick.