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21

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21 (2008)

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Reviews Counted:10

Fresh:4

Rotten:6

Average Rating:5/10

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 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/18/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite primal instincts and fast-moving montages, 21 is a tired, music video-style fable.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 1 Comment
04/11/08
Simon Jordan
Simon Jordan
Channel 4 Film
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Sturgess quietly sparkles as the born loser who struggles to adapt to life on winners' row.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/11/08
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
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The 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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
04/11/08
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/11/08
Olly Richards
Olly Richards
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/28/08
Jim Emerson
Jim Emerson
Chicago Sun-Times
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Real-life rags-to-riches Vegas scheme makes for glossy if lightweight fun.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
03/28/08
John DeFore
John DeFore
Hollywood Reporter
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When the makers of the blackjack drama 21 stepped up to the table to place their bets, they opted to play it safe.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/28/08
Kevin Crust
Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
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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.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/27/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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shrewdly shuffles together attractive young leads, cagey screen vets and a fantasy-fulfillment scenario in a slickly polished package

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/10/08
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
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1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for 21

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