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Based on the book Bringing Down The House, 21 attempts to be a fast-paced, sexy look into a nerd sport of epic money-making potential.

Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) plays Ben Campbell, an MIT student desperate for college cash. He manages to catch the eye of a statistics professor, Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who introduces him to his club of mathematical brain trusts on a mission – make some serious money. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the lovely Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) is one of the core members. Ben follows his lesser brain and ends up in Vegas, camped out in a deluxe suite with all of the strip to play in.

He’s good. They’re good. Money comes pouring in, and it’s the top of the world. But then the movie kicks into rock star cliché mode, and as Ben makes more and more money, he forgets his roots, his buddies, and becomes something of an asshole. Proving that chicks dig assholes, this is the moment where he gets into Kate Bosworth’s tiny, tiny pants (seriously, eat something, Kate Bosworth). 

True to formula, Ben reaches too high, gets his ass kicked and his cash stolen, and loses the girl. Now all that’s missing is a twisty, M Night Shamalan type finale where he uses his MIT wits and gets everything back. Not only that, he gets a once in a lifetime deal to go to Harvard free. Greedy bastard.

Jim Sturgess is a wonderful actor, and his American accent is dead on. Aaron Yoo, who plays Choi, also deserves a nod for his funny performance as a card counting kleptomaniac. And if you look hard, you’ll see one of the authors of Bringing Down the House dealing blackjack.
But the movie’s plus points ends there. The plot is utterly formulaic, and all I kept thinking was, ‘I bet the book is way better’.

The DVD has a good selection of bonus features. “21: The Advantage Player” is a tour of the game of blackjack, brought to you by the 21 cast. There is the standard making of featurette, “Basic Strategy: A Complete Film Journal”, and “Money Plays: A Tour of the Good Life” which attempts to be flashy by showing us a kind of ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ Vegas Edition. Commentary is also provided, but the movie isn’t really a thinker, so the commentary isn’t terribly necessary. Or, possibly, it’s there for people who want to know more but are too lazy to read the book.

21 is a good renter film, but it isn’t the stuff movie memories are made of.

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