21 (2008)

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writers (WGA):

Peter Steinfeld (screenplay) and
Allan Loeb (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Inspired by the true story of five students who changed the game forever.

Plot:

"21" is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.

Plot Keywords:

Casino | Burglary | Video Surveillance | Professor | Chase

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

US Showtimes:

(register to personalize)

Cast

Jim Sturgess	...	Ben Campbell
Kevin Spacey	...	Prof. Micky Rosa
Kate Bosworth	...	Jill Taylor
Aaron Yoo	...	Choi
Liza Lapira	...	Kianna
Jacob Pitts	...	Jimmy Fisher
Laurence Fishburne	...	Cole Williams
Jack McGee	...	Terry
Josh Gad	...	Miles Connoly
Sam Golzari	...	Cam
Helen Carey	...	Ellen Campbell
Jack Gilpin	...	Bob Phillips
Donna Lows	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer #1
Butch Williams	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer #2
Jeffrey Ma	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff

Also Known As:

21 - The Movie (USA) (promotional title)
21 Blackjack (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
21 (Germany) [de]
21 (Canada: French title) [fr]
21 (Greece) [el]
21 (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
21: A Última Cartada (Portugal) [pt]
21: Las Vegas (Netherlands) [nl]
Las Vegas 21 (France) [fr]
Las Vegas ostroma (Hungary) [hu]
Quebrando a Banca (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Greece:K-13 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43290) | Germany:12 | Iceland:12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | South Africa:13V | Italy:T | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-13 | Poland:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Sweden:11 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Ireland:12A | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

GH Three

Trivia:

The movie was used as a luxury prize for the contestants on the Big Brother 9 in the US. They played a competition involving blackjack, and the winners got to see a special advance screening of the movie. One contestant won a trip to Las Vegas worth $21,000, which included a three night stay at the same hotel the actors from the movie stayed in.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There are multiple errors in Vegas hotel locations - seeming to be in one hotel when the shot from the window makes it clear they are elsewhere, particularly when visiting a suite said to be at the Hard Rock but clearly the view is from a tall Strip hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel is neither.

Quotes:

Micky Rosa: You are only ever as good to me as the money you make!

Movie Connections:

References Heavy Metal (1981)

Soundtrack:

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Following the story in the book would have been better.

OK, first what I liked about it. I like just about any movie about Vegas--and this one did a good job of bringing the flash to you--especially that first plane ride in at night--kind of makes you tingle. I liked must of the "true" parts of the story--i.e., the true anecdotes lifted from the book, like the test at the local illegal blackjack room. The best friends (total fiction) were cute and made for some comic relief.

This COULD have been a really good movie if it followed the true story closer though, rather than having the ridiculous premises that it did. Their was plenty of conflict for the protagonists in the book. Example: having the coed girlfriend at MIT at the same time he was dating an NBA cheerleader! (that was good stuff!) Plenty of contrast in the book too between MIT and Vegas.

Oh well--not the worst movie, not a bad date movie, and some good scenes.