21 2008 movie review

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If the thrill of gambling were really about winning, there would be too few gamblers to support the multibillion-dollar Vegas gambling industry. Everybody knows that the odds are predetermined to favor the house, and that people play the games for the rush, not the payoff. Bettors are many, winners are few. That's what makes it a reliably profitable business. Like insurance. The premiums for participating in the game outweigh the payouts the company makes as incentives to keep the players playing.

So how exciting would it be if, say, somebody devised a system that used simple math to give a blackjack player the edge over the dealer? "Inspired by" the real-life story of the M.I.T. students who took Las Vegas casinos for millions, "21" has been reshaped to fit a simple movie template -- and it's nearly as much fun as watching an insurance professional compute actuarial tables.

In "21," directed by Robert Luketic , the worst thing a gamester can be accused of is gambling. "Don't give in to your emotions," M.I.T. professor Micky Rosa tells his blackjack students. "Play the system." Good advice for a card-counting scheme. Bad advice for a movie. If you want to see how a formatted screenplay looks when it's actually on the screen (you can just about count the page numbers as they flip by, and maybe measure the margins, too), "21" may provide a practical lesson: How to follow all the "rules" and end up with zero. It's not unwatchable, but you could watch it with your eyeballs tied behind your back and enjoy it just as much.

Here's another example of a good story turned into a purely generic one -- no doubt with the aid of a Bob McKee screenwriting seminar and textbook.

Act I: M.I.T. undergrad Ben Campbell ( Jim Sturgess ) is a nerdish wicked-smart Bostonian white guy working with his best friends (a fat guy and a Persian-American guy) on a project for a robotics competition. He really needs a $300,000 scholarship to get into Harvard medical school, but he's only one of 72 talented prospects. He's recruited by Professor Rosa ( Kevin Spacey ) to join a secret cabal of card-counters with a scheme to hit Vegas on weekends and make a fortune. He resists. A Beautiful Girl ( Kate Bosworth ) attempts to woo him. He resists. OK, he really needs the money, so he joins up -- but just until he can get enough for full college tuition.

He learns the blackjack system in a montage sequence or two and passes the test. The Beautiful Girl rebuffs his advances in an attempt to maintain a strictly professional relationship.

Act II: The team goes to Vegas and the guys win. Another montage sequence? Maybe. It's getting a little fuzzy. But wait: A casino security guy named Cole Williams ( Laurence Fishburne ) starts to notice something -- and not a moment too soon because he's losing all his business to high-tech biometric face-recognition software. Technology! Drat! Card-counting isn't illegal, but the casinos want you to know that if you're caught doing it, they might take you down in the basement and beat the living craps out of you.

The Beautiful Girl retracts her rebuff. The Hard Rock Casino comps her a suite in which she and Ben enjoy a brief, soft-focus sex-scene montage. "It seemed too good to be true," Ben says in voiceover. "And it felt like it was never going to end." It does. Ben is no longer the same guy he was back in Boston. He loses -- money, his friends, the Beautiful Girl, his mentor, everything. Bummer.

Act III: Ben has one last chance. He makes up with Rosa and the Girl, and the team reunites for one last Big Score in Vegas. Everything works out exactly as the screenwriters have planned. The End.

Meanwhile, British actor Sturgess (" The Other Boleyn Girl ") gets to play an American with traces of a peculiar accent (based on Jeff Ma, a Chinese-American who was called Kevin Lewis in the book); Spacey gets to alternate his slick good-cop schtick (" L.A. Confidential ") with his steely bad-cop schtick ("Swimming With Sharks"); Luketic (" Legally Blonde ," " Monster-in-Law ") gets to direct another picture, and Bosworth gets to wear some wigs.

The movie itself has a tell: Watch for the moment when somebody obviously pulls a punch. If you hadn't figured out the rest of the movie by then, it gives away the whole thing.

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Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity

123 minutes

Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor

Aaron Yoo as Choi

Kevin Spacey as Micky Rosa

Laurence Fishburne as Cole

Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell

Liza Lapira as Kianna

• Peter Steinfeld

Directed by

• Robert Luketic

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Movie Review | '21'

With Assist From Greed, Money Makes the Man

By Manohla Dargis

• March 28, 2008

Greed is good and comes without a hint of conscience in “21,” a feature-length bore about some smarty-pants who take Vegas for a ride. Loosely based on the nonfiction book “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich, and adapted for the screen by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, this bankrupt enterprise asks you to care about a whiny M.I.T. moppet, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, serviceable), who because he can’t afford Harvard Medical School (boo hoo), starts counting cards to rake in some serious cash.

The conduit to Ben’s journey of counterfeit self-discovery is a racially, ethnically, sexually balanced gang of other greedy bright things (the most appealing being Aaron Yoo, wasted as the kooky, sexless Asian guy), run by an equally avaricious math professor, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey on autopilot). Using a system of mnemonic devices, goofy hand signals and a talent for numbers, the team has devised a way to beat the bank. (In Las Vegas, Laurence Fishburne and his knuckles will have something to say about that.) Because Ben doesn’t want to use his poor widowed mother’s savings to go to Harvard, he decides to ditch his qualms if not his sense (because he really has none) and signs on.

And so it’s off to Vegas they go, where they count the cards, take the money and run. Amid the din and glare of various casinos, the director Robert Luketic, whose credits include “Legally Blonde,” engages in other dodgy business: he cribs from Wong Kar-wai’s “Chungking Express” period (Ben sits motionless as the world races by); borrows from the David Fincher of “Fight Club” (camera tricks for kicks); lifts from Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” (throw the money in the air like you just don’t care); and pays homage to universal whoredom by restaging the “Pretty Woman” shopping montage. He also tosses in some gleaming rides, a couple of PG-13 pole dancers and a Rolling Stones remix that both Dad and the kids can enjoy.

Ben ogles the chintzy glamour and the chesty blondes spilling out of their dresses, and the movie does exactly the same. He particularly likes it when his skinny school crush, Jill, clambers aboard and offers him a lap job, for which I hope the young actress Kate Bosworth was well compensated. Like everything else in “21,” Jill can be bought for the right price, as of course can Ben and, by extension, us. The filmmakers try to soften this idea mostly by furnishing Ben with a sob story. They turn his desire to attend Harvard into something tantamount to an inalienable right, one that’s impervious to ethical standards or personal morals, which means that “21” is either a very cynical or a very smart take on the power elite.

“21” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Most of the on-screen lust is for money.

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Robert Luketic; written by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, based on the book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions” by Ben Mezrich; director of photography, Russell Carpenter; edited by Elliot Graham; music by David Sardy; production designer, Missy Stewart; produced by Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey and Michael De Luca; released by Columbia Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes.

WITH: Jim Sturgess (Ben Campbell), Kate Bosworth (Jill Taylor), Laurence Fishburne (Cole Williams), Kevin Spacey (Micky Rosa), Aaron Yoo (Choi), Liza Lapira (Kianna) and Jacob Pitts (Fisher).

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Rent 21 on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

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21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.

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Robert Luketic

Jim Sturgess

Ben Campbell

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Liza Lapira

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A flashy fictionalization of an extraordinary true-life story about college kids who counted cards to win big in Las Vegas, "21" is a better-than-even-money bet to be an important player in the spring B.O. tournament.

By Joe Leydon

Film Critic

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A flashy fictionalization of an extraordinary true-life story about college kids who counted cards to win big in Las Vegas, “21” is a better-than-even-money bet to be an important player in the spring B.O. tournament. Pic shrewdly shuffles together attractive young leads, cagey screen vets and a fantasy-fulfillment scenario in a slickly polished package that should appeal to anyone who’s ever dreamed of beating the odds. Only the lack of some truly megawatt star power might hold the Sony release back from a massive, rather than just lucrative, payday.

Sporting a reasonably convincing Boston accent, Brit up-and-comer Jim Sturgess (“Across the Universe”) makes a mostly winning impression as Ben Campbell, a brilliant, boyishly cute but awkwardly shy math-and-science whiz who wants to attend Harvard Medical School after completing his senior year at MIT. Trouble is, neither he nor his widowed mom (Helen Carey) can afford tuition.

Popular on Variety

So it doesn’t take much convincing to lure Ben onto a clandestine team of fellow MIT brainiacs assembled by Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), a seductively snarky math professor and stats genius who presides over his college classes like a sardonic gameshow host. With a little help from sexy student Jill (Kate Bosworth), Mickey convinces Ben to join the high-stakes action while following the professor’s near-infallible system for counting cards at blackjack tables during weekend jaunts to Las Vegas.

The gameplan calls for a designated “big player” — either Ben or vet teammate Fisher (Jacob Pitts) — to wait for a signal from a “spotter” making low-wager bets. When one of the spotters — teammates Jill, Choi (Aaron Yoo) and Kianna (Liza Lapira) — indicates the dealer is working with a “hot deck,” the big player comes by and bets big. And keeps on betting, until the spotter signals him to vamoose.

Like a more conventional caper movie, “21” generates an impressive amount of suspense simply by meticulously explaining, and then deftly dramatizing, the nuts and bolts of an illicit enterprise. Spacey is darkly comical and icily authoritative as Mickey explains the rules of his game and repeatedly warns against getting too excited in the heat of the moment.

Mickey makes it perfectly clear to his players that, if they break his rules, they’ll be brutally punished. But perhaps not as brutally as they might be treated by Cole Williams (an intimidating Laurence Fishburne), a badass casino “enforcer” who takes a hands-on approach to discouraging card counters.

Working from “Bringing Down the House,” Ben Mezrich ‘s bestselling account of the real-life MIT students who took Vegas for millions in the 1990s, director Robert Luketic (“Legally Blonde,” “Monster-in-Law”) and scripters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb sporadically resort to predictable character developments, logic-stretching plot twists and full-bore melodramatics. It’s never made clear how it’s so easy for Mickey to impose his iron will on a player who displeases him in the third act, and Ben’s evolution from buttoned-down nerd to “Viva Las Vegas” libertine, while amusing, is not entirely plausible in the way it’s dramatized (or, to be more accurate, announced) here.

Sturgess does a first-rate job sustaining the aud’s rooting interest in his character, even though there’s conspicuously little heat to his scenes with the well-cast Bosworth. Spacey gives a performance that could be labeled “Honey-Baked” and sliced up for sandwiches — which is precisely what makes him so much fun. Supporting players, including Josh Gad and Sam Golzari as Ben’s uber-nerd best buddies, are aces.

The visual-effects team led by Gray Marshall employs all manner of camera techniques and CGI trickery to give many of the blackjack games the pizzazz of a state-of-the-art vidgame. (Cards and chips appear exhilaratingly surreal in massive closeups.) And that comes in very handy whenever Luketic wants to amp up the excitement during sequences where, really, people are doing nothing more dramatic than placing bets and playing cards.

Lenser Russell Carpenter enhances pic overall with stark contrasts between snowy Boston and neon-lit Vegas locations. Soundtrack abounds with aptly chosen pop tunes, although the closing credits are underscored by what may be the worst remix of a Rolling Stones song (“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”) ever heard in a major motion picture.

• Production: A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a Columbia Pictures presentation in association with Relativity Media of a Trigger Street/Michael De Luca production. Produced by De Luca, Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey. Executive producers, William S. Beasley, Brett Ratner, Ryan Kavanaugh. Directed by Robert Luketic. Screenplay, Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb, based on the book "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich.
• Crew: Camera (Deluxe color), Russell Carpenter; editor, Elliott Graham; music, David Sardy; production designer, Missy Stewart; art director, James Truesdale; set decorator, Tracey A. Doyle; costume designer, Luca Mosca; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Gary C. Bourgeois, Greg Orloff; visual effects supervisor, Gray Marshall; visual effects, Gray Matter FX; assistant director, Justin Muller; casting, Francine Maisler, Lauren Gray. Reviewed at Edwards Grand Palace Stadium 24, Houston, March 4, 2008. (In SXSW Film Festival -- Spotlight Premieres.) MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 122 MIN.
• With: Ben Campbell - Jim Sturgess Mickey Rosa - Kevin Spacey Jill - Kate Bosworth Choi - Aaron Yoo Kianna - Liza Lapira Fisher - Jacob Pitts Cole Williams - Laurence Fishburne Terry - Jack McGee Miles - Josh Gad Cam - Sam Golzari Ellen Campbell - Helen Carey

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Jim Sturgess (Ben) Kate Bosworth (Jill) Kevin Spacey (Micky Rosa) Aaron Yoo (Choi) Liza Lapira (Kianna) Jacob Pitts (Fisher) Laurence Fishburne (Cole Williams) Jack McGee (Terry) Josh Gad (Miles) Sam Golzari (Cam)

Robert Luketic

Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.

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Ben Mezrich's bestseller Bringing Down The House: The Inside Story Of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas For Millions …

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21 (United States, 2008)

21 is a perfect example of how something that's "based" on a true story can nevertheless exist mainly in the realm of fiction. While it's true that the source material for the movie, Ben Mezrich's Bringing Down the House relates events that actually happened, screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb have fictionalized the entire story, leaving intact only the central idea that a group of MIT students devised a card-counting scheme that allowed them to fleece the Vegas casinos. And, while I'm firm believer in the adage "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, " 21 doesn't spin a good enough yarn to justify all the changes. In fact, when one character indicates to another that he started out smart then got sloppy and stupid, he might have been referring to the script.

Our "entry point" into 21 is Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a graduating MIT senior who has already been admitted to Harvard Med School. There's a problem, though: Ben can't raise the needed $300,000 (never heard of student loans, I guess) and his chances of getting a "free ride" scholarship appear slim. Along comes Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who brings with him a too good to be true offer: a space has opened up on his "team" and he's offering it to Ben, one of the most gifted mathematical minds he has encountered during his time teaching at MIT. The "team" is a group of five students who visit Las Vegas regularly and put into effect a sophisticated card-counting scheme that the casinos have been unable to break. Initially, Ben refuses, but the allure of Harvard Med plus his attraction to Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), one of Micky's special students, pulls him in. After a local initiation, it's off to Sin City for Ben's official induction. There, waiting to match wits with him is Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), the head of security at Planet Hollywood.

The idea behind 21 is compelling - tell how a group of college kids beat one of the most sophisticated anti-crime systems in place anywhere around the world. Unfortunately, the problem is with the execution. Perhaps because there's math involved, 21 doesn't do an effective job of providing the bare-bones details of how the crime is pulled off. It hedges and cheats and employs lots of quick edits but we don't get anything close to a coherent description of what the kids' methods are. It doesn't take long before the film relegates the heist elements to the background so it can focus on clichéd interpersonal relationships, including a tepid romance between Ben and Jill. Finally, the movie ends with a series of Hollywood staples, including a chase and a "twist" that won't surprise anyone.

21 is yet another instance of Hollywood dumbing-down smart people. In order to pull off something as audacious and successful as what the MIT students did, they had to be geniuses. Yet, as portrayed in the movie, they're ineffectual blunderers. Some of the things they do are so stupid that they're insulting. Of course these characters are eventually going to get caught doing these sorts of things. How could they not? Audiences enjoy watching heist movies where the characters are two steps ahead (not two steps behind) and where the narrative provides some surprises. Neither characteristic is evident here. And, in addition, the resolution has an unpleasant "have your cake and eat it" quality. The fingerprints of those demanding a Hollywood ending are all over this screenplay.

Jim Sturgess, who has survived the Beatles debacle Across the Universe relatively unscathed, gives a nice turn as shy Ben, who gradually emerges from his shell as he gains more confidence in his newfound skills. It's a familiar character arc but Sturgess' performance allows us to buy into it. Kevin Spacey provides his customary intensity; he's fun to watch even when he's not in peak form. His Superman Returns co-star, Kate Bosworth, isn't as successful. Her performance is wooden and she and Sturgess don't click as a couple. Laurence Fishburne is wasted in a stereotypical thug role and no one else has enough lines to be worth mentioning. The supporting characters in 21 truly are one-dimensional.

Another disappointing aspect of 21 is its sluggish pace. The high-energy Vegas setting doesn't increase the wattage of the production. The movie is a little over two hours in length but feels longer. Some of the movie's last-act "action" sequences have been inserted primarily as a way to liven things up, but they're so pointless and derivative that all they do is drag out the running length. (Are we really supposed to be thrilled by scenes of Sturgess and Bosworth being chased by bad guys through a series of casino kitchens?) When it comes to the other two heist movies currently playing in theaters, The Bank Job and Flawless , the only advantage one could attribute to 21 is the youth of its cast. When judged on the basis of story, excitement, surprises, and character development, 21 comes in a distant third.

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Review: 21 (2008)

Directed by: Robert Luketic

Premise: Ben, a mathematically gifted MIT student (Jim Sturgess) with financial troubles, gets involved with a group of other students who coordinate plays at the blackjack tables in Las Vegas casinos. As his financial situation improves, Ben finds that success changes him and his relationships with his friends.

What Works: 21 is a well assembled picture. The cinematography is gorgeous and the film finds new ways of shooting casinos and the Las Vegas strip that differentiate the film from other Sin City pictures like Oceans 11 . The cold mathematics of the film are brought to life through smart cinematic choices in the shooting and editing, and watching these college students play cards becomes as stimulating and as dynamic as a car chase. The story smartly sets up the training, establishing clues and procedures ahead of time and using it as short hand to navigate through the blackjack scenes. Jim Sturgess is very good in the lead role and he is able to share space with his mentor and antagonist played by Kevin Spacey. Spacey cakewalks through the role with the kind of glib, I’m-smarter-than-you-are-and-I-know-it smugness that has come to characterize a lot of his work and it functions well here.

What Doesn’t: If 21 is marred by anything, it’s that the audience will probably figure out the entire story by the end of the first act. It follows a fairly predictable rags-to-riches-to-rags plotline, with Ben corrupted by his success and alienating his old friends. It’s formula done well but it does not stray much from that formula.

Bottom Line: Despite its adherence to convention, 21 is enough fun to justify a recommendation. It does not break much new ground but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do and is a satisfying picture. 

Episode: #186 (April 20, 2008)

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Directed by Robert Luketic

They proved the Vegas Blackjack System was beatable...by beating the hell out of it.

Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. in Boston who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine with the desire to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 for the four to five years of schooling as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa into a small but secretive club of five. Students Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa of the skill of card counting at blackjack.

Jim Sturgess Kevin Spacey Kate Bosworth Aaron Yoo Liza Lapira Jacob Pitts Laurence Fishburne Jack McGee Josh Gad Sam Golzari Helen Carey Jack Gilpin Ben Campbell Donna Lows Butch Williams Steven Richard Vezina Chaska T. Werner Kyle Morris Ernell Manabat Frank DeAngelo Marcus Weiss Anthony DiMaria Christopher Michael Holley Scott Beringer Terasa Livingstone Jeffrey J. Dashnaw Colin Angle Supriya Chakrabarti Bradley Thoennes Show All… Kiều Chinh Alice Lo Sally Levi Henry Houh Frank Chen Spencer Garrett Celeste Oliva Ruby Hondros Christian Mello Gregory Seymore Rebecca Marshall Kris Williams Jeff Kamps

Director Director

Robert Luketic

Producers Producers

Dana Brunetti Michael De Luca Sharyn Shimada-Huggins

Writers Writers

Peter Steinfeld Allan Loeb

Original Writer Original Writer

Ben Mezrich

Casting Casting

Francine Maisler

Editor Editor

Elliot Graham

Cinematography Cinematography

Russell Carpenter

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Justin Muller John M. Morse

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Ryan Kavanaugh William S. Beasley Brett Ratner

Lighting Lighting

Camera operators camera operators.

David E. Diano Will Arnot

Production Design Production Design

Missy Stewart

Art Direction Art Direction

James F. Truesdale Eric Bryant

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Tracey A. Doyle E. David Cosier Mick Cukurs George Lee

Special Effects Special Effects

John Ruggieri

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Gray Marshall Ashley Clark

Stunts Stunts

Freddie Hice Jeffrey J. Dashnaw Billy D. Lucas Mic Rodgers Danny Wynands Casey O'Neill

Composer Composer

David Sardy

Sound Sound

Wade Wilson Nelson Stoll Michael D. Wilhoit Scott Wolf Kerry Ann Carmean Gary A. Hecker Michael J. Broomberg Brad Brock Gary C. Bourgeois Greg Orloff

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Tania McComas Trish Seeney Marleen Alter

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Lucia Mace Elizabeth Cecchini

Columbia Pictures Relativity Media Michael De Luca Productions Trigger Street Productions

Releases by Date

07 mar 2008, 27 mar 2008, 09 apr 2008, 11 apr 2008, 17 apr 2008, 18 apr 2008, 01 may 2008, 15 may 2008, 16 may 2008, 04 jun 2008, 19 jun 2008, 20 jun 2008, 26 jun 2008, 10 may 2017, 15 may 2021, 25 sep 2008, 04 dec 2008, 25 may 2010, 04 jun 2011, releases by country.

• Theatrical M
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 11
• Theatrical 10
• Physical DVD & Blu-Ray
• Digital VOD
• Digital Netflix
• Theatrical 12A
• Theatrical T

Netherlands

• Physical 12 Blu ray
• Physical 12 DVD
• TV 12 RTL 5
• Theatrical 12 Age Limit: 11
• Theatrical M/12
• Premiere 15

South Korea

• Theatrical 15
• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical 6+
• Premiere PG-13 South by Southwest Film Festival
• Theatrical PG-13

123 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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Review by Griffin ★★½ 1

Inside look at how Spacey grooms his boys. Little bit of card counting thrown in here and there too.

Review by mikesmic ★★ 2

My dad taught me how to count cards - not that it's useful since all the lower limit blackjack tables use the automated shufflers that replenish the deck after EVERY round (scam) - so was excited to watch this one. Unfortunately didn't like it. Also did not like main character. The set up of him being dorky and nerdy needed to also make him likeable in order to make him becoming an asshole more impactful and also make the audience WANT him to win but I honestly didn't care what happened to him. Also the wigs?????????????? The casinos need to hire me because I would clock those atrocious wigs within seconds PLEASE 😭

Review by Ben ★★★½ 2

Unsurprisingly not the first time Kevin Spacey decided to play with a bunch of kids 😳

Review by 🎃🔥Mr. Like🔥🎃 ★★½ 3

Rotten Tomatoes: 36% Metacritic Metascore: 48 IMDB: 6.8

Release Date : 28 March 2008 Distributor : Colombia Pictures Budget : $35M Worldwide Gross : $159.8M

Netflix Ranked 

Ben Campbell : "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!"

SYNOPSIS: "21" is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.

The film's pace starts off leisurely, then alternates between fast-paced Vegas casino action and periods of downtime wherein Ben and his girlfriend, fellow conspirator Jill (Kate Bosworth), talk shop and take in the high life. The story does have a villain, but it may not be who you think it is.

TRIVIA: Although set in the then-present day, i.e. 2007/8, the film…

Review by victorsmith ★★½

Me if uno was added to casinos

Review by Robert Franco 2

if i wanted to keep counting cards after getting burned by every casino in vegas, i’d simply just go to atlantic city and *not* go back to vegas.

Review by Leo ★★★★★

All because Jimmy got a job at Google…

Review by Josh Lewis ★★ 8

Watched on the Criterion Channel. Way more Josh Gad in it than I remembered.

Review by brynn helena ★★★★★

the "shut up and drive" needle drop in this movie is EVERYTHING to me

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Common sense media reviewers.

Breezy Vegas con film fun, with some iffy stuff.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The students involved in the scheme are aware that

A security officer takes delight in beating up any

Strippers do their thing at a club (lots of cleava

Some salty language, including "goddamn," "bulls--

Practically feels like a commercial for Las Vegas,

Lots of drinking in Boston pubs and at the Vegas c

Parents need to know that 21 is a breezy, fact-based drama about college students who use their math skills to count cards in Las Vegas; it may appeal to teens thanks to stars like Jim Sturgess (of Across the Universe ) and Kate Bosworth. That said, the subject matter is pretty serious, and…

Positive Messages

The students involved in the scheme are aware that what they're doing isn't necessarily playing by the rules, and they seem quite attracted to the rush. They also happily indulge in the spoils, drinking to excess, hooking up with strangers, and throwing money around (one seems to have a shoplifting habit, and fake IDs are used to subvert the authorities and protect the students' true identities). Still, it's clear that, for them, it's not necessarily about total greed (except perhaps for their mentor, Professor Rosa). Also, for Ben, this enterprise is a means to a seemingly noble end: paying for medical school without having to rely on anyone for help. Plus, he comes to an understanding that his game isn't without its cost.

Violence & Scariness

A security officer takes delight in beating up anyone caught counting cards; he even wears special rings on his fingers to make the experience more painful (the bloody aftermath is shown on camera). He also flashes a gun, and another gun is fired in a casino. Some loud arguments between friends.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Strippers do their thing at a club (lots of cleavage shots); Jill propositions Ben, and they make love in front of a window (they're shown from the top half, kissing passionately, naked); mild jokes about masturbation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some salty language, including "goddamn," "bulls--t," and the like.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Practically feels like a commercial for Las Vegas, with scene upon scene of casinos, gamblers, and the strip. Signage is everywhere, from the Hard Rock Cafe to Planet Hollywood to The Mirage. A book that teaches the students how to count cards is clearly shown. Shopping sprees take place in stores that are clearly marked out front or by shopping bags, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Also many mentions of Google, Sizzler, MIT, Harvard Medical School, etc.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Lots of drinking in Boston pubs and at the Vegas casinos and strip bars. Tons of smoking in those locales as well.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 21 is a breezy, fact-based drama about college students who use their math skills to count cards in Las Vegas; it may appeal to teens thanks to stars like Jim Sturgess (of Across the Universe ) and Kate Bosworth . That said, the subject matter is pretty serious, and there are some fairly violent scenes -- a security officer punches counters with a closed, ring-bedecked fist -- as well as lots of smoking, drinking, swearing, and, of course, gambling. The students also meet up post-gambling at a strip club, and there are plenty of cleavage shots and some passionate clinches. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (8)
• Kids say (12)

Based on 8 parent reviews

Too much sex

What's the story.

MIT senior Ben Campbell ( Jim Sturgess ) has worked hard all his life to achieve one goal: attend Harvard Medical School. Getting in isn't the problem -- he's already been accepted -- but paying for it is. His only chance is a full-ride scholarship, but nothing distinguishes him from most of the applicants. He's smart and hardworking, but he has no life experience, having sacrificed his social life for school. No wonder the lure of Vegas becomes too much for him to resist -- what's not to like about the chance to make tons of money, live a different life, and land a pretty classmate, Jill ( Kate Bosworth )? Jill is part of a blackjack "team" led by professor Micky Rosa ( Kevin Spacey ), a math whiz who trains his students in the fine art of card-counting and flies them to Sin City for money-making weekends. Technically, it's not a crime -- but Vegas doesn't celebrate winners, particularly if they're geniuses who find a way to take the house for all it's worth. Soon Ben discovers he's involved in a dizzying game where the stakes -- Harvard, graduation, his future -- are much too high.

Is It Any Good?

Slick, stylish, and mostly seductive, 21 -- based on Ben Mezrich's nonfiction book Bringing Down the House about MIT student Jeff Ma -- is a treat despite some clunky dialogue and clichéd setups. Just one example: On his 21st birthday, Ben's mother beseeches him to have fun; "You only turn 21 once," she says. Cut to the fork in the road that promises excitement. Later, Jill, in an effort to persuade Ben to join the team, tells him, "You were born for this." And so on.

But true talent masks many ills -- and Sturgess has plenty. Cool and vulnerable in Across the Universe and aptly English in The Other Boleyn Girl , he's credibly earnest and awkward here, but not so much that his Vegas transformations are unbelievable. Spacey, who co-produced the film, gives viewers more of his sneering, snide shtick, but it's effective here. His mentees are a likable bunch -- young, too-clever, and eager to please. And Vegas? The cheese is (mostly gone). Rarely has it looked this fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Ben's decision to gamble as a means to an end. Was he right? Is it ever OK to bend the rules to accomplish something?

Since it's not technically illegal to count cards, why is it so frowned upon? Do you think it's cheating or just a clever use of math skills? Is it easier to justify something like card counting if you're taking money away from a casino instead of a person?

Does the movie glamorize Las Vegas and gambling? What do you think casinos are like in real life?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 27, 2008
• On DVD or streaming : July 21, 2008
• Cast : Jim Sturgess , Kate Bosworth , Kevin Spacey
• Director : Robert Luketic
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Gay actors
• Studio : Columbia Tristar
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : STEM
• Run time : 123 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.
• Last updated : December 23, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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11 Apr 2008

123 minutes

Robert Luketic is so over pink. After establishing himself as Hollywood’s go-to guy for any script that dotted its ‘i’s with hearts, the Legally Blonde director has ditched pastels for something more boysy - and he proves himself capable of frothy amusement for either gender.

Based on a true story, 21 follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a handsome college nerd, who is inveigled into a group of teenage card-counting blackjack players led by his maths lecturer (Kevin Spacey). So follows a journey of riches won and lost, sexual awakening and really good suits.

This is as much a piece of enjoyable fluff as anything else Luketic has made; it’s just got moodier lighting. The nerd who gets a taste of the cool life is a cinematic stalwart, so it stands to reason that Ben’s first few outings in Vegas provide the film’s zippiest scenes. His fellow scammers are a job lot of characters, allowed only two facial expressions each, but their propensity for taking on new identities every time they hit the tables makes them fun to be around. That people wishing to pass unnoticed would probably not don big hats, goofy glasses and wigs from Madame Skanky’s House of Hookers is rather beside the point. Realism is unwelcome in this realm of wish fulfilment, and that’s just fine.

Luketic places the film in capable hands with his two leads. Bosworth is sweetly determined as love interest Jill, a combination of mutual exclusives: maths genius and prettiest girl in school; a career gambler father, and happy childhood. But it’s Sturgess who makes the movie. The young Brit, who threw heart and lungs into Across The Universe, has an everyman appeal that gives the movie a sturdy centre. Spacey is clearly enjoying himself immensely as the preening Svengali, but his once-subtle charisma has given way to a smirking need to hog the lens, while Laurence Fishburne makes an insufficiently threatening villain, as a security guard outdated by technology.

Being a film about dodgy gambling, 21 can’t resist some sleight of hand in the final act, but it’s an obvious con that won’t draw any gasps from its big reveal. This is a film that's at its most enjoyable when it knows not to play beyond its means.

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THE MOVIE CULTURE

21 Movie Review And Film Summary(2008)

21 is a 2008 American heist drama film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh.

The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich.

Despite its largely mixed reviews and controversy over the film’s casting choices, 21 was a box office success, and was the number one film in the United States and Canada during its first and second weekends of release.

21 Film Cast

• Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell.
• Kate Bosworth as Jill.
• Kevin Spacey as Micky Rosa.
• Aaron Yoo as Choi.
• Liza Lapira as Kianna.
• Jacob Pitts as Fisher.
• Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams.
• Jack McGee as Terry.
• Josh Gad as Miles.
• Sam Golzari as Cam.
• Helen Carey as Ellen Campbell.
• Jack Gilpin as Bob Phillips.

21 Movie Plot

Ben, a mathematics major at MIT, is accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. He applies for the prestigious Robinson Scholarship which would cover the entire cost.

However, despite having an MCAT score of 44 and high grades, he faces fierce competition, and is told by the director that the scholarship will only go to whichever student dazzles him.

Back at MIT, a professor, Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the Monty Hall Problem which he solves successfully. After looking at Ben’s 97% score on his latest non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join his blackjack team, which consists of fellow students Choi, Fisher, Jill, and Kianna. Using card counting and covert signaling, they are able to increase their probability of winning while at casinos, leading them to earn substantial profits. Over many weekends, the team is flown to Las Vegas and Ben comes to enjoy his luxurious lifestyle as a so-called big player.

The team is impressed by Ben’s skill, but Fisher becomes jealous and fights him while drunk, leading Micky to expel him. Meanwhile, the head of security, Cole Williams, has been monitoring the team and begins to turn his attention to Ben.

21 Film Review

This film is very interesting even though the ending was predictable, it doesn’t exactly goes according to the actual real story but the film is loved by alot of people.

The plot is interesting, Micky, a math professor, recruits five brilliant students and uses their skills to win millions of dollars at blackjack in Las Vegas.

The filming of 21 began in March 2007. Principal filming of the Las Vegas scenes took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, the Red Rock Casino, and the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

Filming also took place at Harvard Medical School, Chinatown, in Cambridge, and the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not allow filming on campus, the MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium, and the alumni reception were all shot at Boston University.

21: Casinos In The Film

In pre-production, the producers and the book’s original writers predicted that the Vegas casinos would be unhelpful, as a film that told viewers the basics of card counting might hurt their bottom line.

A featurette included with the DVD completely and accurately describes the “Hi-Lo” system used by the MIT Blackjack Club and by Rosa’s team in the film.

In fact, the writers were surprised when told by the producers that MGM Studios would finance the film, though all “MGM” casinos (including one used by the real MIT Blackjack Team) are owned by MGM Resorts International and are no longer related to MGM Studios.

In reality, as another DVD featurette reveals, the casinos (including MGM Resorts) saw the film as an attention-getter; people who saw it would be encouraged to go to Vegas and play: some just for fun and some attempting to count cards but failing to learn or memorize the entire strategy or making too many mistakes. T

he film withheld critical strategy details (such as the conversion from the “running count” to a “true count”), and most beginning card counters underestimate the number and value of the mistakes they make.

21 Film Soundtrack Listing

The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film.

• 1. The Rolling Stones—“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (Remixed by Soulwax) (6:07). 2. MGMT—“Time to Pretend” (Super Clean Version) (4:20).
• 3.LCD Soundsystem—“Big Ideas” (5:41). 3. D. Sardy featuring Liela Moss—“Giant” (3:42). 4. Amon Tobin—“Always” (3:38).
• 5. Peter Bjorn and John—“Young Folks” (4:37). 6. Shook One —“Soul Position” (4:16).
• 7. Get Shakes—“Sister Self Doubt” (4:22). 8. The Aliens—“I Am The Unknown” (5:27).
• 9. Rihanna—“Shut Up and Drive” (3:34). 10. Knivez Out—“Alright” (3:31).
• 11. Domino—“Tropical Moonlight” (3:28). 12. Unkle—“Hold My Hand” (4:58).
• 13. Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian—“L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)” (3:32). 14. Broadcast—“Tender Buttons” (2:51).

Other tracks

Although it is not included in the soundtrack, Moby’s “Slippin’ Away” (Axwell Vocal Remix) plays in the scene when Ben is passing through airport security.

The song “Everybody Get Dangerous” by Weezer was also featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack since it was not yet released. It would later be released on Weezer’s 2008 record, The Red Album. It is played on a distant radio when the team is in a poker club.

The song “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick and “Music is Happiness” by The Octopus Project were also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.

The song “Magnificent” by Estelle (feat. Kardinal Offishall) was also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album. It’s played approximately 58 minutes in, after the Weezer song, in the scene where Ben buys Jill a beer. It’s subtle, and has a reggae beat.

In the promotional trailers, “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” by The Doors was used. During the restaurant scene where the team explains to Ben how they work, “Home” by Great Northern can be heard playing in the background.

The song “Again with the Subtitles” by Texas artist Yppah is another uncredited song in the film.

The track played as the team makes off at the end of the film is “Rito a Los Angeles” by Giuseppe De Luca, which features part of the main riff of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. This track is also used in Ocean’s Twelve, the first sequel to the caper film Ocean’s Eleven, about actually robbing casinos in Vegas. My Mathematical Mind by Spoon was featured in the trailers.

21 Film Critical Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 36% of 169 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 5.17/10. The site’s critical consensus reads: “21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.”

Metacritic gave the film an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale.

The Movie Culture Synopsis

A race-based controversy arose over the decision to make the majority of the characters white Americans, even though the main players in the book Bringing Down the House, upon which the film 21 is based, were mainly Asian-Americans.

The lead role was given to London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.

Jeff Ma, who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell and served as a consultant on the film, was attacked as being a “race traitor” on several blogs for not insisting that his character be Asian-American. In response, Ma said, “I’m not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn’t get to cast it.”

Ma said that the controversy was “overblown” and that the important aspect is that a talented actor would portray him. Ma, who is Chinese American, told USA Today, “I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me.”

Overall, it’s a great film and TMC would give it a solid 8/10. This film is available to watch on Netflix .

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Movie Review: 21 (2008)

• Phntmbanana
• Movie Reviews
• 7 responses
• --> March 29, 2008

Alright … well there isn’t much to say about 21 because it really just made me so angry to the point that I screamed out “FUCK this movie” about a half hour in. Now you may be asking me why I would get so angry at such an obviously mediocre film. Simple, it was just so horribly cliched and lazy in almost every way possible that it was impossible to not get upset. If they had stuck to the supposedly fantastic source material – a book named “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions” by Ben Mezrich – then the movie would have been infinitely better. What could have been a fascinating tale becomes an after school special with a happy ending that doesn’t fit in anywhere.

21 is the story of Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a promising M.I.T. student who needs money to get into Harvard Medical School. To make ends meet (and against his better judgement) he joins a group of his fellow students, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Kianna (Liza Lapira), Choi (Aaron Yoo) and Fisher (Jacob Pitts) to go to Las Vegas every weekend with their math professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) to “beat the house” by counting cards while playing blackjack. Fascinating stuff and if the movie would have kept the focus on the characters and how they beat the system, it would have been so much better. But instead it put its focus on how this master group basically did the most cliched things possible in Vegas – riding in limos down the strip, hanging out with strippers and acting like pompous high rollers. Moreover, the way that director Robert Luketic decided to present this was predictable and boring, with the money making process being outlined through either stop motion video (which I actually did scream at in the theater) or some sort of epilepsy inducing flashes of cards. As I said earlier, this movie is completely Hollywood-ized in a way that really took me away from the story.

Moving onto the choice of actors, I can’t complain too loudly, after all, 21 features an all-star cast of actors. They all do their part relatively well but none of them really stand out and propel the film to the level that it needed to be for me to enjoy it. The fault lies with the lack of character development (which for me is what should have driven the film) by writers Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb. The only role with any semblance of meat was written for Kevin Spacey – problem is Spacey’s role is the same as I’ve seen him do a thousand times before. I’d have also liked to see more from Lawrence Fishburne, who plays Cole William, the casino agent fixated on tackling the team. He almost seems to be miscast as the “villain”.

So long story short, 21 is a movie that disappointed me greatly. Ultimately, it rips off so many great casino films while systematically ruining a fantastic true story by dumbing it down into a story that was made for children. Just because a film is PG-13 doesn’t mean you have to completely alienate everyone above the age of 12 with a story that is full of morals where they don’t belong and a twist ending that doesn’t fit. It is a crying shame that such a good cast was wasted on a lazy movie that just borrows and never improves. My suggestion? Read the book if you are interested in this story and avoid this film adaptation completely.

Movies and comics are my passion. When not watching the latest Hollywood megahit I can be found idling at the local comic shop.

Feature: Top 10 Horror Movies of the Past 10 Years (1999-2008) Movie Review: The Strangers (2008) Movie Review: Teeth (2007) Movie Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) Movie Review: Doomsday (2008) Movie Review: The Signal (2007) Movie Review: There Will Be Blood (2007)

'Movie Review: 21 (2008)' have 7 comments

March 30, 2008 @ 8:46 am Anthony

Is there such a thing as a good casino type movie that doesn’t involve gangsters? I can’t think of any..

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April 9, 2008 @ 9:23 pm Magda

it pained me to see a movie with so many great actors running like a long episode of CSI crossed with outtakes from Oceans 11(or is it 10?) I think this movie went overboard with the least realistic portrayal of Las Vegas since, well Las Vegas(tv show)and frankly i am sorry to say, i had to ask my date how it ended, as i totally spazzed, and actually had to be woken up at the end.The large gentleman who had sat behind me said, and i quote “you didn’t miss much.” pshaw!

April 13, 2008 @ 2:19 am Ojay

It was that much of a pain? I have not seen 21 yet, but the preview and trailer was very enticing. I’m disappointed to hear 21 was a big disappointment. Hmm…I think I’ll still go to the movies to watch it, though. I’ll come back to comment on my thoughts once I have watched the movie for myself.

April 16, 2008 @ 3:27 am Ojay

It did rip off more than a few great ideas from past casino blockbusters, however it wasn’t that much of a let down for me. Was it original? Nope. Was it a knockoff? Perhaps. Was it entertaining? Yes, I sure thought so…

April 29, 2008 @ 4:55 pm 21 Blackjack

I had no chance to see it yet, but read a lot of rather bad reviews. If the movie is really that bad then it had wasted a very good opportunity. I think the real life story, on which the film was based provide great material for an action movie, and could reveal a lot more about casinos and casino players than any other gambling movie. It could also introduce blackjack, a classic, and my favourite, casino game to a wider audience. As I said, I had no chance to see it yet, but if you are disappointed you can always watch a fascinating BBC documentary about blackjack and card counting that was inspired by the very same story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/million_prog_summary.shtml

July 23, 2008 @ 3:40 am mochi

This piece of garbage is an example of Hollywood at its commercial worst. It’s one long bad MTV video and some of the worst directing around. Be warned that unless you have two plus hours to waste then don’t waste any money on it.

June 24, 2009 @ 3:08 pm S D Kaplan

I agree: “What could have been a fascinating tale becomes an after school special with a happy ending that doesn’t fit in anywhere.” But the critique itself is written very poorly, prose- and thought-wise.

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21 Parent Guide

University can be a bit expensive, so when Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), an academically bright student, is offered a shady opportunity to make some big bucks, he takes the gamble. The money making scheme involves employing his math skills at the Las Vegas blackjack tables -- but his winning streak soon captures the attention of some poor losers.

Release date March 27, 2008

Why is 21 rated PG-13? The MPAA rated 21 PG-13

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by rod gustafson.

Click here for a detailed explanation of how we determine our grades.

The MPAA has rated 21 PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity

Based on true events, this story is about a group of MIT scholars (Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Kate Bosworth). During the week, they live low-profile lives as struggling college kids with homework to do and papers to write. But on the weekends, they are high rollers on the glitzy Las Vegas Strip where a single night of game playing can net each of them a substantial wad of cash.

At first Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is reluctant to join the “team”. The slightly nerdy mathematician is working with his friends (Sam Golzani, Josh Gad) on an entry for an upcoming robotics competition. He’s also saving money for Harvard Medical School. On the Cambridge campus, he hardly stands out or even gets noticed by the girls, especially Jill Taylor (Bosworth). However, all that changes after the bookish undergraduate accepts Micky’s special invitation. Before long, Ben’s established a new reputation in the Nevada resort as a big player and is on a first name basis with many of the card dealers and hotel staff.

He’s also kindling the suspicions of Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburn) and the other casino surveillance personnel (Jack McGee) who want to plug the casino’s outflow of cash. Meting out their own form of Old Wild West justice, their vigilante punishments are comprised of threats and bloody beatings that fly under the radar of established legal procedures.

While not officially illegal, the team’s organized approach to scamming the gambling establishments has as many ethical issues at its core as do the casinos themselves. The students’ excessive weekend lifestyles include sex, frequent alcohol consumption and evenings spent in a strip bar (partial nudity is seen). Yet even with this desert city’s lavish nightlife and the promise of anonymity, the plot often lumbers at a painfully slow pace and conveniently overlooks some of the safeguards these private clubs have in place to protect their investments.

With relatively few consequences for the team’s actions, this promise of quick money may seem inviting to teens facing the high cost of university tuition. But with few positive role models in the movie, families may prefer to cash their chips in for a different theatrical experience.

Beyond the movie ratings: What Parents need to know about 21 ...

Bright lights, booze and scantily clad women (with buttock nudity) performing in a strip bar are some of the entertainment these college kids take in when they’re not at the tables. A brief sexual encounter (bare shoulders are shown), discussions of other sexual activities and some passionate kissing between male/female partners and female/female partners are also depicted. The frequent theft of hotel objects, lies and assumed identities are portrayed, along with cigarette use, social drinking and stress-motivated alcohol consumption. A fight breaks out in the casino and one man fires a gun. Characters are taken to a dark basement and physically beaten (bloody injuries). Numerous profanities and terms of Deity are used in the script

Talk about the movie with your family…

Acceptance at prestigious universities is increasingly challenging. How might the rigors of academic competition impact students? Does Ben’s need for tuition money justify his activities in Vegas? Is this the kind of life experience that would look good on a Harvard resume?

Can something be ethically or morally wrong even if it is not illegal? Why do the characters in this film have little or no recourse when they are conned? What significance do peer pressure, pride and jealousy play in this script?

Las Vegas has a huge advertising campaign “What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas”. What dangers, if any, might be associated with this promise of anonymity?

Video alternatives…

Catch Me If You Can is the story of Frank Abagnale (played by Leonardo DeCaprio), another brilliant young mind who used his skills for illegal gain while being chased down by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (played by Tom Hanks). In October Sky , a teacher in a coalmining town encourages a student to see new possibilities for his life by pursing his passion for rocketry.

DVD Notes: 21

DVD Release Date: 22 July 2008

The movie 21 releases to DVD with the following extras dealt in the hand: three featurettes ( The Advantage Player, Basic Strategy: A Complete Film Journal and Money Plays: A Tour of the Good Life) and an audio commentary with director Robert Luketic and producers Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca. Audio tracks are available in 5.1 Dolby Digital (English, Spanish and French), with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.

21 also releases in a Blu-ray version. This edition provides all of the aforementioned bonus materials plus an interactive game: 21Virtual Blackjack . Audio tracks are available in 5.1 TrueHD (English, French and Portuguese). There are language tracks in Spanish and Thai as well. Subtitles are provided in English, French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai and Indonesian.

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Rod Gustafson

The most recent home video release of 21 movie is july 21, 2008. here are some details….