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"Predictable and boring really", This could have had so much more but poor boy wants to have enough money to go to medical school. Has an aptitude for counting cards. You can fill in the rest. Its predictable and not very exciting.

"Pure Hollywood and a lot of fun, but unrealistic, even though based on a true story", Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a brilliant MIT student on his way to Harvard Medical School. He's already been accepted, but the money is an issue. Ben is up for a full scholarship, but so are 76 other people, and he has spent so much time studying, he's had little opportunity for the "life experience" the scholarship board seeks from that one "dazzling" candidate that deserves the $300,000 free ride.

So, when his Nonlinear Equations professor, Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), recruits him to his team of other brilliant students to count cards in Las Vegas casinos, he reluctantly accepts -- on the condition that once he's earned the three-hundred grand, he's out.

Spacey is electric as Professor Rosa, but it's Sturgess's work as Ben Campbell that grounds this flight of fancy in reality. He is instantly likable, and his troubles are relatable, even though few people have actually experienced them. Laurence Fishburne also has a nice turn as ultra-intimidating security man Cole Williams, a man who does whatever it takes to keep his job in an increasingly computer-controlled arena.

Though it's supposedly based on a true story, 21 is pure Hollywood all the way. From its underprivileged hero given the opportunity of a lifetime, to its instant inclusion of the hero's dream love interest (here Kate Bosworth), to how Ben drops his geek friends once he gets the chance to hang out with cooler people, to how the student surpasses the teacher.

The first portion of the movie is so predictable, in fact -- and so spelled-out for the general audience -- that it's a struggle just to get through to the interesting portion: the actual Vegas scenes. As a whole, however, 21 is a lot of fun, and I was surprised at how much I thought about it after it was over, especially that insipid but catchy phrase, "Winner, winner, chicken dinner."

"Glamorous does not equal better ", The story of how several MIT students were able to beat Vegas at their own game is compelling and entertaining. Unfortunately, it's told in a book titled Bringing Down the House not this movie. While based on the factual account of extremely bright card counters who devised a system capable of generating a very favorable win ratio in Black Jack, 21 delivers very little of that true story. Instead, it focuses on sensationalizing elements of the story and dramatically over simplifying others. It provides a glamorous but empty portrayal of characters who in real life were very interesting and intelligent.

Card counting, as represented in this movie, hardly requires anything more than an average IQ and the ability to count quickly, not the gifted mind of a top MIT student. Frankly, this has been simplified so that the viewer is able to grasp the key concepts; not a bad idea in itself since not everyone is a gifted mathematician, but they've gone too far and left the viewer wondering what, if anything, makes the protagonist Ben Campbell or any of his cohorts special. As portrayed in 21, it seems that anyone could practice counting cards in their basements for several months and then go make unlimited amounts of money in Vegas. There are ways to make material accessible to the audience without over simplifying it to the level of silliness. The Paper Chase is a good example of how to do this tastefully.

Over simplification is not the only issue in 21. Other elements have been made glamorous where unnecessary, sometimes with a level of implausibility that is laughable. The worst of these would require providing spoilers, but there are a few worth mentioning. First, these wildly intelligent card counters, led by a street-smart proffer played by a well cast Kevin Spacey, are always frequenting night clubs, sleeping in luxury casino penthouses, and in general drawing massive amounts of attention to themselves, all while purportedly trying to stay under the radar of the Casinos and their eye-in-the-sky security experts. This is ridiculous. Not even Lawrence Fishburn's entirely convincing and frightening portrayal of an old-school casino security chief can save this movie from dreary implausibility. Second, the interplay between the students are based on silly cliche. These same 'brilliant' students cannot seem to remember their own basic set of rules, or even follow basic Black Jack strategy when they are either fatigued, angry, etc... That is a blatant, undercutting reversal of what is supposed to make them who they are: an icy ability to calculate odds and stick to a system.

Spacey and Fishburn make the movie less of an ordeal, but they're not enough to save this one from itself. Some of the dialogue is pretty interesting, especially the interplay between the protagonist Ben and his cut-throat professor. The psychological underpinnings of the relationships between Ben, the professor, and the former premier card counter whom Ben has supplanted could have been a dramatic gold mine, but these interactions are left on the sidelines in a movie more concerned about driving the plot forward than telling a great story.

Overall, 21 is worth watching simply because its the next closest thing to the excellent book on which it is based. This is a rent not a buy. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because of Spacey and Fishburn.

"cool movie", the movie was great,, and its based on a true story,, so cool !!

"by 3 stars i actually mean 2.5 stars", The best (and most realistic) part of this movie was when the guys were playing basketball and were playing out of breath and just passing the ball around. Its how nerds play b'ball. I was kind of disappointed because you didnt learn any tricks or techniques. Spacey's character was a little too monotone and uninvolved and Bosworth's hair was a hot Dumb and Dumber bowl without the bangs mess. 21 is something you watch to see events unfold.

Plot: This guy needs $300k for Harvard Medical School. He has an $8/hour job. Spacey's character is a teacher who invites him to count cards at blackjack and go to Vegas to win some cash. The students use hand signals to say whether a table is hot or cold (one of the hand signals is really obvious it almost looks like a baseball play). Small twists and turns exist that make the movie not incredibly obvious to watch. The acting is just so-so and there were no incredibly cool, whiz kid, "ballin" scenes.

A GOOD gambling movie is Rounders.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Slick &Entertaining, But Far From Reality", I enjoyed the movie because it was entertaining all the way. It was slick and had interesting characters. The only problem was the last half of it where credibility when flying out the window. The movie is all about supposedly very intelligent people, led by the smartest of the all the group, the only veteran in this college age-dominated cast: "Professor Mickey Rosa," played by Kevin Spacey. Well, Rosa would not do what he did here, for starters, meaning trusting an untrustworthy and revenge-seeking kid. If you've seen the movie you know what I mean. The others in the group wouldn't go along with the renegade - "Ben Campbell" (Jim Sturgess) - either. There is no way this kid is going to totally outsmart the professor, but it makes for good Hollywood dramatics.

There are a bunch of other holes, too, such as wanting to be anonymous but going back to the same place; a ridiculous chase scene through the casino gambling area and kitchen; hand signals that a junior detective could see (and are never changed!) and - maybe the worst - winning tons of money in sessions. Nobody with half a brain would win much at any session, because it draws attention. You win a little here, a little there and go from place-to-place and remain anonymous. This movie is based on a true story, and I can guarantee you that's what the MIT students did in real life - not what you see here.

Still, facts aside, it's still a fun movie to watch and since entertainment is the name of the game with films, it succeeds and I still give it an "8" star rating for that. At no time was I bored and overly insulted at the dumbness that I would have stopped playing the DVD. It will hold your interest and you'll be thoroughly entertained, especially if you don't know a lot about blackjack and how casinos operate.

Oh, as a postscript: they don't beat up "card counters" in back rooms of casinos. If they think you are counting cards, which I don't believe is illegal, they still have the right to kick you out of their establishment.....but they ask you nicely and you are removed from the floor with no big scene or violence. They have your picture, there are security people everywhere, and you aren't allowed back.

So, enjoy the film but don't believe the screenplay.


"3 Stars Good but not Great", Many of the other reviews talk about the storyline but I am writing this just as one man's opinion. 21 was a fun movie to watch. There is nothing extremely captivating about the movie. I was honestly more enthusiastic to watch the movie than I should have been. Something about the story line of going to Vegas to beat the odds is fun and it gets the addreniline pumping even as you watch but in the end you know it will come crashing down.

The bottom line about this movie is that it has a decent story line and is entertaining. 3 stars is a perfect rating because although I would recommend it to most people, if you have something else you have been really wanting to buy then buy that movie instead of 21

"Card Counting in Vegas", A movie that is lightly based on a true story of MIT students counting cards in Las Vegas to pay their way through college.

On a positive note, this movie was cute and the acting was great. I love Kevin Spacey. The ending had a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming, and it made me smile at the end.

On the other hand, it was just a little ho-hum. Nothing spectacular. I think it could have been a little more exciting and visual.

"Definitely a chicken dinner of a movie...", I really really liked this movie. It was different, it was interesting, it was fun. And it was based around real events. Kevin Spacey is like icing on the cake, he did a great job. I was surprised I like this one so much, it was a little bit of a hidden gem for me. I watched it basically because I wanted something and it was available :) It kept my attention and the math/cheat stuff kept me complete enraptured. Awesomeness!

"too much dramatization and unbelieveable from time to time", this movie has a lot of dramatization. and things hard to believe, such as beating up a card counter... many books i read said that they only tell you not to play at the blackjack table ever again. i'd recommend watching Breaking Vegas (2004) which is a more accurate story of what actually happened.