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21 (2008)

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Reviews Counted:161

Fresh:57

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.

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Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity

Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.

Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense

Theatrical Release: Mar 28, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $81.2M

Synopsis: Ben Campbell is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who--needing to pay school tuition--finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of... Ben Campbell is a shy, brilliant M.I.T. student who--needing to pay school tuition--finds the answers in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of the school's most gifted students that heads to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa leading the way, they've cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and by his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor, Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isn't illegal, the stakes are high, and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight, but staying one step ahead of the casinos' menacing enforcer: Cole Williams. [More]

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Laurence Fishburne, Jack McGee, Josh Gad, Sam Golzari, Helen Carey, Jack Gilpin, Donna Lows, Butch Williams, Jeffrey Ma, Frank Patton, Steven Richard Vezina, Chaska T. Werner, Kyle D. Morris, Ernell Manabat, Frankie DeAngelo, Marcus Weiss, Anthony DiMaria, Christopher Michael Holley, Scott Clark Beringer, Terasa Livingstone, Jeff Dashnaw, Colin Angle, Supriya Chakrabarti, Bradley Thoennes, Kieu Chinh, Alice Lo, Sally Livingston, Henry Houh, Frank Chen, Spencer Garrett, Celeste Oliva, Tom McGowan, Ruby Hondros, Christian Mello, Greg Seymore

Director: Robert Luketic

Director: Robert Luketic
Screenwriter: Peter Steinfeld , Allan Loeb
Producer: Brett Ratner , Ryan Kavanaugh , William S. Beasley
Studio: Sony/Columbia Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
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  • 21
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    21 I MESSED UP
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    21 GERMAN
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    21 THE LANGUAGE OF COUNTING
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  • 21 THE SIGNAL
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    21 CAUGHT ON CAMERA
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    21 BLACKJACK
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    21 BEN JOINS THE TEAM
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  • 21 YOU SHOULD COME TO VEGAS
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    21 IM PRETTY GOOD WITH NUMBERS
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    21 THE TEAM
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REVIEWS FOR 21

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1 - 20 of 163 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Luketic's dunderheaded, would-be caper is a morality tale where the only moral at stake is the dullard-hero's thoughtless entitlement

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
Aug 27, 2009
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

It's a slick enough movie, with an intriguing enough concept. It would be a much more enjoyable movie, however, if the wheels didn't come off script-wise.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
Jul 24, 2009
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

One can't help but think there was a smarter film to be made from this premise.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
Mar 29, 2009
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

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.

Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly | comment 1 Comment
Feb 2, 2009
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly

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.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

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.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Spacey makes a nicely chilly villain and Bosworth a warm and glamorous leading lady, if an implausible maths genius.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Mike Goodridge
Mike Goodridge
Screen International

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Bullz-Eye.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Disappointing thriller that's let down by a tedious script, a frankly ridiculous final act and some dodgy overacting by Kevin Spacey.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
James Verniere
James Verniere
Boston Herald

This is a prime example of a movie that isn't bad, per se, just unnecessary, a competently made but wholly unremarkable trifle.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

See this for the sheer fascination of it.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

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.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
Oct 18, 2008
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

Even though you can predict what happens, 21 is still fairly compelling for a movie about counting cards at a blackjack table.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
Oct 1, 2008
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

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 Source: The Scorecard Review | comment 1 Comment
Aug 27, 2008
Jeff Bayer
Jeff Bayer
The Scorecard Review

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

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
Aug 9, 2008
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Empty calories, yes, but tasty enough.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
Aug 7, 2008
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

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 Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
Jul 23, 2008
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
NewsBlaze
 
 
1 - 20 of 163 (sorted by date)
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