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Movies / On DVD / 21
21

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21 (2008)

35%
28%
71%
N/A
N/A
N/A
35 %
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.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins

Theatrical Release: Mar 28, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $81,159,365

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 then flies them out to Vegas to raid the blackjack tables... 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]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne

Director: Robert Luketic
Screenwriter: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb
Producer: Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Michael De Luca
Composer: David Sardy

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 22, 2008

[DVD Details]

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Anamorphic Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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Ratings Image
5/10

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/27/08
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review
Ratings Image
C-

Everyone involved should have known when to fold 'em. The movie is about as interesting as counting cards.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/09/08
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image
3/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Ratings Image
N/A

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/23/08
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image
N/A

Much like in Vegas, whatever happened in the book and made it so marvelous stayed in the book.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/21/08
Tim Basham
Paste Magazine
Ratings Image
C+

It may take a rocket scientist to successfully count cards, but not to wite a smarter script than what 21 delivers.

Full Review | comment 2 Comments
07/19/08
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Ratings Image
3.5/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/17/08
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina
Ratings Image
C

The film goes through the motions of a thriller, but few thrills result.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/09/08
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image
3/4

It didn't blow me away, but it was an entertaining way to spend 2 hours.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine
Ratings Image
2/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/12/08
IGN Movies
Ratings Image
4/5

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

Full Review | comment Comment
06/11/08
Stephen Silver
The Trend
Ratings Image
3/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/07/08
Jim Schembri
The Age (Australia)
Ratings Image
N/A

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/07/08
David Michael
FILMINK (Australia)
Ratings Image
5/10

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
06/06/08
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
Ratings Image
2.5/4

... the film is such a love letter to 'Risky Business,' it almost qualifies as a pseudo remake.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/05/08
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
Ratings Image
B+

The vast majority of 21 is pure fun; I would've loved to give it an unqualified rave, so its flaws are especially annoying.

Full Review | comment 1 Comment
06/04/08
Michael Dance
The Cinema Source
Ratings Image
3/5

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.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/20/08
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times
Ratings Image
3.5/5

It is the gilded embodiment of the American Dream.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/16/08
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
Ratings Image
2/5

For a film about gambling, you don’t actually see enough of it to satisfy.

Full Review | comment 1 Comment
05/15/08
Margaret Pomeranz
At the Movies
Ratings Image
3/5

21 rarely flags in its ability to entertain, but is never particularly convincing.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/13/08
Chris Laverty
Mansized
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