21 (2008)

Pure Hollywood and a lot of fun, but unrealistic, even though based on a true story

Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a brilliant MIT student on his way to Harvard Medical School. He's already been accepted, but the money is an issue. Ben is up for a full scholarship, but so are 76 other people, and he has spent so much time studying, he's had little opportunity for the "life experience" the scholarship board seeks from that one "dazzling" candidate that deserves the $300,000 free ride.

So, when his Nonlinear Equations professor, Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), recruits him to his team of other brilliant students to count cards in Las Vegas casinos, he reluctantly accepts -- on the condition that once he's earned the three-hundred grand, he's out.

Spacey is electric as Professor Rosa, but it's Sturgess's work as Ben Campbell that grounds this flight of fancy in reality. He is instantly likable, and his troubles are relatable, even though few people have actually experienced them. Laurence Fishburne also has a nice turn as ultra-intimidating security man Cole Williams, a man who does whatever it takes to keep his job in an increasingly computer-controlled arena.

Though it's supposedly based on a true story, 21 is pure Hollywood all the way. From its underprivileged hero given the opportunity of a lifetime, to its instant inclusion of the hero's dream love interest (here Kate Bosworth), to how Ben drops his geek friends once he gets the chance to hang out with cooler people, to how the student surpasses the teacher.

The first portion of the movie is so predictable, in fact -- and so spelled-out for the general audience -- that it's a struggle just to get through to the interesting portion: the actual Vegas scenes. As a whole, however, 21 is a lot of fun, and I was surprised at how much I thought about it after it was over, especially that insipid but catchy phrase, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner." December 26, 2008

Glamorous does not equal better

The story of how several MIT students were able to beat Vegas at their own game is compelling and entertaining. Unfortunately, it's told in a book titled Bringing Down the House not this movie. While based on the factual account of extremely bright card counters who devised a system capable of generating a very favorable win ratio in Black Jack, 21 delivers very little of that true story. Instead, it focuses on sensationalizing elements of the story and dramatically over simplifying others. It provides a glamorous but empty portrayal of characters who in real life were very interesting and intelligent.

Card counting, as represented in this movie, hardly requires anything more than an average IQ and the ability to count quickly, not the gifted mind of a top MIT student. Frankly, this has been simplified so that the viewer is able to grasp the key concepts; not a bad idea in itself since not everyone is a gifted mathematician, but they've gone too far and left the viewer wondering what, if anything, makes the protagonist Ben Campbell or any of his cohorts special. As portrayed in 21, it seems that anyone could practice counting cards in their basements for several months and then go make unlimited amounts of money in Vegas. There are ways to make material accessible to the audience without over simplifying it to the level of silliness. The Paper Chase is a good example of how to do this tastefully.

Over simplification is not the only issue in 21. Other elements have been made glamorous where unnecessary, sometimes with a level of implausibility that is laughable. The worst of these would require providing spoilers, but there are a few worth mentioning. First, these wildly intelligent card counters, led by a street-smart proffer played by a well cast Kevin Spacey, are always frequenting night clubs, sleeping in luxury casino penthouses, and in general drawing massive amounts of attention to themselves, all while purportedly trying to stay under the radar of the Casinos and their eye-in-the-sky security experts. This is ridiculous. Not even Lawrence Fishburn's entirely convincing and frightening portrayal of an old-school casino security chief can save this movie from dreary implausibility. Second, the interplay between the students are based on silly cliche. These same 'brilliant' students cannot seem to remember their own basic set of rules, or even follow basic Black Jack strategy when they are either fatigued, angry, etc... That is a blatant, undercutting reversal of what is supposed to make them who they are: an icy ability to calculate odds and stick to a system.

Spacey and Fishburn make the movie less of an ordeal, but they're not enough to save this one from itself. Some of the dialogue is pretty interesting, especially the interplay between the protagonist Ben and his cut-throat professor. The psychological underpinnings of the relationships between Ben, the professor, and the former premier card counter whom Ben has supplanted could have been a dramatic gold mine, but these interactions are left on the sidelines in a movie more concerned about driving the plot forward than telling a great story.

Overall, 21 is worth watching simply because its the next closest thing to the excellent book on which it is based. This is a rent not a buy. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because of Spacey and Fishburn. December 22, 2008

cool movie

the movie was great,, and its based on a true story,, so cool !! December 20, 2008

by 3 stars i actually mean 2.5 stars

The best (and most realistic) part of this movie was when the guys were playing basketball and were playing out of breath and just passing the ball around. Its how nerds play b'ball. I was kind of disappointed because you didnt learn any tricks or techniques. Spacey's character was a little too monotone and uninvolved and Bosworth's hair was a hot Dumb and Dumber bowl without the bangs mess. 21 is something you watch to see events unfold.

Plot: This guy needs $300k for Harvard Medical School. He has an $8/hour job. Spacey's character is a teacher who invites him to count cards at blackjack and go to Vegas to win some cash. The students use hand signals to say whether a table is hot or cold (one of the hand signals is really obvious it almost looks like a baseball play). Small twists and turns exist that make the movie not incredibly obvious to watch. The acting is just so-so and there were no incredibly cool, whiz kid, "ballin" scenes.

A GOOD gambling movie is Rounders. December 15, 2008

Maths made sexy

Maths and card-playing do not seem to be subjects to light up the screen with energy, but the director here has a fair stab at doing just that.
`Inspired' by a true story, an epithet which presumably allows them great license with the facts, we follow the seemingly nerdy but brilliant Ben Campbell. He is an MIT student desperate to get funds for his Harvard aspirations, and falls in with a group of students who win large amounts of money by `card-counting' at Blackjack in Vegas, led by their maths professor (Kevin Spacey). We see his gradual corruption as the girls, money and high rolling lifestyle lure him to push himself further. And then of course, things start to unravel. Unfortunately, the story does not explore the moral murkiness of the events very far, and still manages to drag things out just a little longer than it might have. Still, the pace is peppy, the direction as energetic as the subject can let it be, showing an improvement on the director's previous fare `Mother-in-Law' and `Win a date with Ted Hamilton', and has a decent soundtrack to keep momentum up.
The cast all perform acceptably, with Kevin Spacey hardly stretching himself but still successfully filling out an important part. Kate Bosworth looks stunning no matter which disguise she is wearing, and Jim Sturgess as Ben makes the transition from naïve nerdy wannabe to cocky highroller and finally to `wiser-than-his-years' young man.
All told, a young sexy cast, veteran actor for gravitas, and a soupcon of moral ambiguity make for an entertaining and worthwhile couple of hours, but falls short of being inherently memorable. (6/10)
December 9, 2008

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