One can't help but think there was a smarter film to be made from this premise.
Comment
03/29/09
21 (2008)
35 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 157
Fresh: 55
Rotten:102
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: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... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne
Director: Robert Luketic
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Reviews for 21
When the movie 21 was announced with Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne, it sounded like a winner. When everybody else involved in 21 was mentioned, it was doomed to be a loser.
02/02/09
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.
10/18/08
If only director Robert Luketic and screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb had not opted for glitz. As filmmakers, they're playing for very low stakes.
10/18/08
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10/18/08
Spacey makes a nicely chilly villain and Bosworth a warm and glamorous leading lady, if an implausible maths genius.
10/18/08
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10/18/08
Disappointing thriller that's let down by a tedious script, a frankly ridiculous final act and some dodgy overacting by Kevin Spacey.
10/18/08
This is a prime example of a movie that isn't bad, per se, just unnecessary, a competently made but wholly unremarkable trifle.
10/18/08
See this for the sheer fascination of it.
10/18/08
Regardless whether there are a number of clichés and plot incongruities, this entertaining and fast-paced flick will find an audience hoping to learn how to beat the dealer.
10/18/08
Even though you can predict what happens, 21 is still fairly compelling for a movie about counting cards at a blackjack table.
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
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
Latest News for 21
January 07, 2009:
People's Choice Awards Winners Announced
The 35th annual People's Choice Awards were handed out on January 7, 2009. A complete list of film nominees, with winners in bold, follows below. More...
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. 
More...
July 21, 2008:
RT on DVD: Geek Alert! Spaced Exclusive, Robot Chicken Star Wars
This week we're going in-depth with a look at this week's highly anticipated cult television series, Spaced. If you like Brit comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, then... More...
May 07, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Summer Season Begins With a Bang
Summer box office season began with a bang last Friday, with Iron Man the first of the pumped up, big-budget teen-friendly blockbusters to emerge from the bowels of the... More...
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