This movie's script sticks so closely to formula that it could be a film school project.
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04/20/08
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21 (2008)
35 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 145
Fresh: 51
Rotten:94
Average Rating: 5.1/10
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 trains brainiac students to count cards and... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Robert Luketic
Reviews for 21
Despite primal instincts and fast-moving montages, 21 is a tired, music video-style fable.
04/11/08
Top Critic
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
Sturgess quietly sparkles as the born loser who struggles to adapt to life on winners' row.
04/11/08
Top Critic There is a message about life, money and happiness in here somewhere but it’s undone by a contrived ending.
04/11/08
Top Critic 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.
04/11/08
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.
04/11/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/01/08
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
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 Critic The 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
Latest News for 21
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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