21

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Laurence Fishburne, and Kevin Spacey

Written by: Ben Mezrich, Peter Steinfeld, and Allan Loeb

Directed by: Robert Luketic

21 is a movie that is much like the city most of its action takes place in, Vegas. A whole lot of style, not so much in the substance, but still a lot of fun.

There’s something about Jim Sturgiss, that is eminently likable, even as he blows off his best friends, and gets too far in. As the lead role, he’s great at engaging the audience. However, likability only gets you so far.  He’s a little too nondescript and boring to really center a movie around.  The editing too fails both him and Kate Bosworth at times.

The story is fairly simple: Genius boy needs money for Harvard Med School, Opportunistic Professor who moonlights as card counting ringleader gets him involved, Boy gets money, Boy gets in over his head and loses money, Teacher gets pissed and screws the boy over, Boy gets revenge.

That’s two hours.

The main problem I have is that the major decisions happen off screen.

At first Ben (Sturgiss) doesn’t want to be a part of the team. Then he just shows up.

First Jill Taylor doesn’t want to get involved with Ben because he’s part of the team. Literally three minutes later she’s giving him a lap dance.

I don’t have a problem with the about faces, I’d just like to see what changed their mind.

Kevin Spacey is…well…Kevin Spacey as Professor Mickey Rosa in the little he’s given.  He does his job, but you wish you could see more into his backstory.  He doesn’t really show much until the final stakes game.

Laurence Fishburne’s character, Cole Williams, a Loss Prevention specialist is likewise glossed over.  You’re given just enough to want to know more.

And that’s a problem.  The two characters of Mickey Rosa and Cole Williams looks to be more entertaining subjects for a movie and I found myself wanting THAT story more.

In addition to those two the flick also glosses over the rest of the team.  Understandably the story is mainly Ben/Jill,  but when Fisher disappears mid movie, you expect to at least see what happened to him, but he is gone without another word.

The style of the movie is typically Vegas. Very fast movement, very bright lights, and generally flashy…when in Vegas. When the story shifts back to Boston and MIT, the style of the film changes dramatically. It’s very methodical, drab, and colorless.

I have not read the book, but I can tell that the story has definitely been Hollywoodized. Things happen too quickly, and end up too happy for the lead character to have been real life. But that’s what Hollywood does.

Overall, it was a fun time, but don’t go in looking for much depth.

C+