Don't double down on this one.

 

"21" is the film that supposedly chronicles the exploits of the legendary college team of MIT students that became infamous for their card counting strategies in Vegas.  The term "loosely inspired" never had a better fit then when it comes to this one.  Leave it to Hollywood to take an already intriguing true story and turn it into something hokey.  All the principles, including Kevin Spacey, deliver performances so over the top that you'd think they really were involved in some sort of Vegas show.

 

To enjoy any bit of this movie, you'll have to throw disbelief out the window. First off, the whole point of the ruse, if you want to call it that, of the card counters is one of discretion.  This gets thrown totally out of whack when the film depicts this crew of students living it up in Vegas together, staying in the same hotel and gambling at the same casino on every trip.  Doesn't really take a top notch security effort to see that these kids are connected in some way.

 

The other ridiculous component of the card counters' strategy were the hidden signals that were deployed when they were gambling.  Saying these signals were obvious would be a grand understatement.  One wouldn't really need an eye in the sky to see one of these goofballs stretching their arms behind their chairs to signal that there was a hot table in play.

 

The movie's plot truly becomes Hollywood friendly as back stories emerge between the professor and the lead security contractor at the hotel that the kids are gambling at.  What's more, further deception comes into play with Spacey's character as he manipulates the students with blackmail if they cross him.  Throw in the fact that another subplot centers on the lead character's journey through this saga (going from nobody to somebody) and the old friends he abandons, and you really have a whole lot of activity brewing with this screenplay.  I wouldn't have minded the latter theme so much if Ben Campbell's (Jim Sturgess) friends weren't so obviously over the top in their goofy behavior.  Think Revenge of the Nerds meets Porkys then you have an idea of what his two best friends are like.  No wonder Ben wanted to become a high roller!

 

I will say that "21" is entertaining but it is so for all the wrong reasons.  To see such a mangled script evolve from a true story such as the one that really occurred, then it's really tough to forgive anything about this diluted movie.  I would venture to say that watching the documentary on The History Channel is immensely preferable than spending 15 bucks at the theater to watch this sloppiness.  Avoid this one altogether.