Even though you can predict what happens, 21 is still fairly compelling for a movie about counting cards at a blackjack table.
Comment
10/01/08
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
It has some decent eye candy, but overall this film is bluffing if they think it's a great, intelligent blackjack film. I know I just used a poker term, but I doubt 21 would have noticed.
08/27/08
Everyone involved should have known when to fold 'em. The movie is about as interesting as counting cards.
08/09/08
Empty calories, yes, but tasty enough.
08/07/08
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.
07/23/08
Much like in Vegas, whatever happened in the book and made it so marvelous stayed in the book.
07/21/08
It may take a rocket scientist to successfully count cards, but not to wite a smarter script than what 21 delivers.
07/19/08
After all the dramatizing to protect the innocent is done, the story has a nice, comfy Hollywood ending (complete with baked goods), but it's fun to ride the myth for a while, especially with such comely partners.
07/17/08
The film goes through the motions of a thriller, but few thrills result.
07/09/08
It didn't blow me away, but it was an entertaining way to spend 2 hours.
06/18/08
21 will deliver what the average Joe is looking for in spades. But just be ready for a schizophrenic cinematic experience that may leave you feeling like you just saw three separate movies.
06/12/08
Top CriticThe movie introduces a world and sells it extremely well. It does a good job of explaining the rules of the card-counting scam, and the actual blackjack scenes are quite exciting
06/11/08
A breezy, fast-moving romp that trades well on its appeal as a glitzy caper movie about high-end scam artists without losing sight of its simmering greed-is-not-so-good theme.
06/07/08
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
A cliché-ridden ride through the world of blackjack.
06/06/08
... the film is such a love letter to 'Risky Business,' it almost qualifies as a pseudo remake.
06/05/08
The vast majority of 21 is pure fun; I would've loved to give it an unqualified rave, so its flaws are especially annoying.
06/04/08
Unfortunately, "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 is the gilded embodiment of the American Dream.
05/16/08
For a film about gambling, you don’t actually see enough of it to satisfy.
05/15/08
Latest News for 21
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People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
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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. 
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