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21 (2008)

 -  Crime | Drama  -  28 March 2008 (USA)
6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 129,150 users   Metascore: 48/100
Reviews: 270 user | 210 critic | 29 from Metacritic.com

"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.

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: 21 (2008)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Ben
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...
...
...
...
Fisher
...
...
...
Miles
...
Cam
Helen Carey ...
Jack Gilpin ...
Donna Lows ...
Planet Hollywood Dealer
Butch Williams ...
Planet Hollywood Dealer
Ben Campbell ...
Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff (as Jeffrey Ma)
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Storyline

Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent, student at M.I.T. in Boston who strives to succeed. Wanting a scholarship to transfer to Harvard School of Medicine with the desire to become a doctor, Ben learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 for the four to five years of schooling as he comes from a poor, working-class background. But one evening, Ben is introduced by his unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa into a small but secretive club of five. Students Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa of the skill of card counting at blackjack. Intrigued by the desire to make money, Ben joins his new friends on secret weekend trips to Las Vegas where, using their skills of code talk and hand signals, they have Ben make hundreds of thousands of dollars in winning blackjack at casino after casino. Ben only wants to make enough money for the tuition to Harvard and then back out. But as fellow card counter, Jill Taylor, predicts, Ben becomes corrupted by greed ... Written by matt-282

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

They proved the Vegas Blackjack System was beatable...by beating the hell out of it. See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

21 - The Movie  »

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,649,855 (UK) (11 April 2008)

Gross:

£5,430,673 (UK) (16 May 2008)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

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. See more »

Goofs

When Prof Rosa calls Cole, Terry answers the phone and places Rosa on hold. However, when Cole takes the phone from Terry, he does not take Rosa off of hold and proceeds to talk to him. See more »

Quotes

Philosophical Gambler: Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery.
Philosophical Gambler: It's all what you do in the moment, baby.
See more »

Connections

References Rambo (2008) See more »

Soundtracks

"Time to Pretend"
Written by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser
Performed by MGMT
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Following the story in the book would have been better.
6 April 2008 | by (New Jersey) – See all my reviews

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.


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