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21

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21 (2008)

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Reviews Counted:34

Fresh:17

Rotten:17

Average Rating:2.8/10

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

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:11-04-2008

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, 21 mixes Las Vegas casino wheeling and dealing with college-kid angst: think OCEAN'S ELEVEN via THE PAPER CHASE. Kevin Spacey is crafty MIT professor Micky Rosa, who... Inspired by a true story, 21 mixes Las Vegas casino wheeling and dealing with college-kid angst: think OCEAN'S ELEVEN via THE PAPER CHASE. Kevin Spacey is crafty MIT professor Micky Rosa, who trains brainiac students to count cards and then flies them out to Vegas to raid the blackjack tables between classes. At first they rake in a bundle, but then catch the unwanted attention of tough-guy security chief, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who wants to prove himself before he's replaced by face recognition software. Super math genius Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) originally joins the ring in order to come up with the $300,000 he needs for tuition money, but he's also gaga over the ring's resident babe, Jill (Kate Bosworth). When he finds out Professor Rosa hasn't been dealing entirely from a straight deck, Ben's high-end shopping spree dreams turn sour (though card counting is not illegal) and the battle of wits is on, no second chances given. Spacey is in his preternaturally calm, morally compromised element, stealing scenes left and right; Fishburne brings the hangdog depth; and everything bubbles over the 24-karat rocks, courtesy of director Robert Luketic (LEGALLY BLONDE). 21 is based on the bestseller BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE by Ben Mezrich. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne

Director: Robert Luketic

Director: Robert Luketic
Screenwriter: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
Producer: Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Michael De Luca
Composer: David Sardy
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Reviews for 21

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1 - 16 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/03/08
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/24/08
Entertainment Weekly
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD | comment Comment
10/18/08
Ultimate Guide to Disney DVD
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
10/18/08
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

The counting cards doc looks like something you'd find on Sky Three in the middle of the night.

Full Review Source: Mansized | comment Comment
09/09/08
Chris Laverty
Chris Laverty
Mansized

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Full Review Source: Movieman's Guide to the Movies | comment Comment
07/28/08
Brian Oliver
Brian Oliver
Movieman's Guide to the Movies
N/R

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Full Review Source: DVD Verdict | comment Comment
07/28/08
David Johnson
David Johnson
DVD Verdict
N/R

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Full Review Source: Trades | comment Comment
07/24/08
R.J. Carter
R.J. Carter
Trades

Treating card playing as an exciting spectator sport rather than, say, about as thrilling as watching fishing for two hours, this offbeat cautionary tale warns all those impulsive casino-bound eggheads out there, that losers come in all IQ's.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
07/23/08
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: DVD Authority.com | comment Comment
07/23/08
Matt Brighton
Matt Brighton
DVD Authority.com

Much of the film may seem familiar or even predictable, but the story at the core will take the viewer inside of a world that few have ever seen.

Full Review Source: DVDSleuth.com | comment Comment
07/21/08
Mike Long
Mike Long
DVDSleuth.com

21, in which Kevin Spacey lecherously sizes up a line of female strippers at a Vegas casino, now serves as the greatest testament to the man's talent as an actor.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
07/21/08
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

If anything, 21 proves that the suddenly ubiquitous Jim Sturgess can carry a film even when he's not singing.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/18/08
James Plath
James Plath
DVDTown.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: DVD Beaver | comment Comment
07/17/08
DVD Beaver
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Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | comment Comment
07/16/08
Adam Tyner
Adam Tyner
DVDTalk.com
N/R

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Full Review Source: dvdmg.com | comment Comment
07/09/08
dvdmg.com
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1 - 16 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for 21

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The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...

July 23, 2008: Treating card playing as an exciting spectator sport rather than, say, about as thrilling as watching fishing for two hours, this offbeat cautionary tale warns all those impulsive casino-bound eggheads out there, that losers come in all IQ's. Opens in new window
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