Spacey makes a nicely chilly villain and Bosworth a warm and glamorous leading lady, if an implausible maths genius.
Comment
10/18/08
21 (2008)
35
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:160
Fresh:56
Rotten:104
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: 21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.
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... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Robert Luketic
Reviews for 21
Given the true story that inspired it, 21 really should have been a sure-fire bet. As it is, it’s a split hand that only pays off thanks to Fishburne and Spacey. Still beats Lucky You, though.
04/11/08
The Ocean’s Eleven: The College Years mood makes for a breezy good time, even if there is, like Vegas, precious little substance beneath the glitz.
04/11/08
Top CriticSturgess quietly sparkles as the born loser who struggles to adapt to life on winners' row.
04/11/08
Top CriticThe whizzo-conceit and slick visual bling do give it an undeniably diverting buzz, yet the movie’s cautionary formula shows its hand way before the clunky final reel.
04/11/08
Top CriticThere is a message about life, money and happiness in here somewhere but it’s undone by a contrived ending.
04/11/08
Top CriticDisappointing thriller that's let down by a tedious script, a frankly ridiculous final act and some dodgy overacting by Kevin Spacey.
10/18/08
As ever with gambling films, it's difficult to convey the thrill of winning at second hand; the human-interest complications are unconvincing and Spacey himself, I'm afraid, is a lugubrious and deadening presence.
10/18/08
Top CriticThis movie's script sticks so closely to formula that it could be a film school project.
04/20/08
Despite primal instincts and fast-moving montages, 21 is a tired, music video-style fable.
04/11/08
Top CriticUnfortunately, "21" doesn't give away any of the secrets of counting cards that the average person could use to get revenge against the casinos.
05/20/08
It didn't blow me away, but it was an entertaining way to spend 2 hours.
06/18/08
...a run-of-the-mill, if still satisfying, drama.
03/28/08
Across the Universe star Jim Sturgess reaffirms himself as a sympathetic, highly likable screen presence.
04/01/08
Much like Las Vegas itself, it's only fun in fits, and the next morning you might find yourself regretting spending time with something comprised entirely of surface delights.
03/27/08
21 rarely flags in its ability to entertain, but is never particularly convincing.
05/13/08
Just like blackjack, when they are winning the film is a blast, when they are losing the film gets tedious and trying.
03/27/08
While this is eager-to-please Hollywood-by-numbers fare, 21 should provoke enough interest to make you pick up a copy of the book that the film cheats to get the real deal.
06/07/08
21 comes down to sense and not cents. Ben gets greedy, overlooks his principles and forgets his goal. But then again, he does dazzle!
03/30/08
Buoyed by the charming Jim Sturgess, and abetted by Messrs. Spacey and Fishburne, 21's sins are certainly forgivable. The cast seems to be having real fun and there's no reason, despite a few lags and holes, that the audience shouldn't either
03/25/08
Latest News for 21
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