21 (2008)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Nice effects though.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Blistering performances.

I gave this a 4 because I wanted to nod to the cinematography and the cast, but other than that, I agree with most user reviews.... there are simply too many mistakes for supposed MIT geniuses to make. 1. Going to the same casino on repeat. - As another user pointed out, Vegas IS casinos, so why consistently go to the same one, especially consider Spacey's character knows that the casino is scouted by the man who cause him in the past. 2. Using the same signals.- Hand gestures are a dime a dozen, you're telling me they couldn't use a cycle formula to change them out from time to time, if they're spending so much time on disguises, then why not seconds on gestures? 3. Glorification of power and corruption as a shocker (it wasn't a shocker). 4. Stashing over $300,000 grand in your dorm room ceiling? - Get a safe deposit box for goodness sake. 5. Falling for the girl that of course gave you no mind before. - Tired story line that could have been completely left out all together. It's just a sad thing because based off of the book and the cast it had true potential, but if you want to play 'look how smart this team is', then stick with the plot line and don't let their genius be valid or apparent only in Vegas.

If not the best, one of the best movies in inspiring category. Must watch if you are looking for such type. I watched it several times. The theme of this movie does not normally match to every one lifestyle. That's why some people may not like it. But if you are somehow a looser and you failed because u were forced to go through pretty unusual situation, then this movie will "dazzle" you.

Reviewed November 2011Winner winner chicken dinner, a lot of cheese dripping all over. Featuring good looking leads, a real big mentor and a simple script that may not go too wrong. The director messed everything up spectacularly. Trying to pull in every known stereotype attached to the game and genre, way too long in duration and he may better end up being known as the director who brought the worst in Spacey. Features a typical brilliant boy (Jim Sturgess), with an ordinary life and in need of money/scholarship to get into Harvard Medical school. He realizes his scholarship is in jeopardy and at the same time gets noticed by a shrewd professor (Kevin Spacey) who offers him a spot in his team that specializes in counting cards to beat the dealer in Blackjack. He accepts the offer for two reasons. 1) As a means to an end. 2) His long time crush Jill (Kate Bosworth) is in the team. Finally he ends up getting sucked by the glitz, glamour and easy money of Las Vegas. How he gets his act together comprises the rest of the story. Extremely cheesy with enormous number of redundant scenes featuring characters that are mere caricatures. Cinematography is good, background score is peppy, editing is slick and the lead character is believable. Kevin Spacey has given the worst performance I have seen of him and was a total letdown. They could've added a little more fun while presenting the Blackjack games than just the calculations in the minds of the geniuses that we should imagine. I was a bit disconnected with that.I could not think of any recommendation like 'Watch it only if ...'.. nothing comes to mind. Just drop it. It's easy and more fun.

21 is predictable and has clouded motivations on what we are hearing this story.Despite a few performances the acting is dull and wooden. The characters are not fleshed out except for our leading actor who had the strongest performance, even though his performance was still not that strong. The script is messy and predictable. Once Kevin Spacey's character is invited back to play in Vegas again you know what is going to happen for the last half hour of the movie. The opening and closing scenes are probably the worst thing this movie has going for it. It opens up that this college student wants to get a scholarship to Harvard because he can't afford the tuition and he has to write an essay about a life experience that would make the school want to give him this scholarship. So he decides to tell the school about how he went to Vegas and became a criminal and got his teacher at MIT beat up by the casino security. Then in the closing scene he makes all of these comments like: "Does that impress you?" or "Did that make you go 'wow'?" The other part about the script that bothered me was how they kept going back to the same casino even though they knew security was watching them and knew who they were. For the dialogue, there is some really cheesy romantic dialogue that doesn't work. Also some scenes are supposed to funny and they really are not. This movie was very disappointing please don't watch it. Save yourself the pain.