It was a Mandate, not a Man Date

My second cousin-in-law, Bryce, and his wife Lisa were given a pass for two to last night's advanced screening of Ocean's Thirteen. Unable to secure a babysitter for little Sophie, Lisa insisted, nay mandated, that Bryce look for someone to take along. Figuring that it was highly unlikely that the parents of a five-month-old had plans for a Tuesday night, they gave us a ring to see if one of us was interested in attending. Kristin really wants to see the movie, but the prospect of having to come into the city at rush hour squashed that idea, so I met Bryce on the platform of the metro station near my office and we headed downtown.

Though we had to wait in line for a little under an hour - the passes to such screenings say, "Events are overbooked and seating is first come-first serve" - we were seated about fifteen minutes before the screening began in decent enough seats. (I know someone in the peanut gallery will make the comment, "Any free seat is a great seat." so I'm preempting you.)

The movie was a lot of fun, Clooney and Pitt's interplay was impeccable, the visual style very Soderbergh, and the special effects stunning. The three spiraling gold towers of the fictional hotel Bank were seamlessly folded into The Strip. It was so outlandish that I half expect someone to actually try to build the thing. There was plenty of eye candy for those who prefer men in fine suits. For those of us who prefer the fairer sex, the lone prominent female actor was a skeletor who could stand to gain a few pounds. Overall, it was a good Ocean's movie with high stakes, double and triple crossings, and crazily staged plots and ploys to get even. I would highly recommend it.

At some point in the evening, Bryce and I discussed the classification for our trip to the screening. The man date is a term popularized by the media that applies to an evening outing for two men who are friends. We, however, felt that the term mandate better applied, for the reason mentioned above. Regardless, I had a great time and look forward to spending some time with Bryce, Lisa & Little Sophie before the big move.