21 (2008)

"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.

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writers:

Peter Steinfeld (screenplay), Allan Loeb (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Sturgess	...	Ben
Kevin Spacey	...	Micky Rosa
Kate Bosworth	...	Jill
Aaron Yoo	...	Choi
Liza Lapira	...	Kianna
Jacob Pitts	...	Fisher
Laurence Fishburne	...	Cole Williams
Jack McGee	...	Terry
Josh Gad	...	Miles
Sam Golzari	...	Cam
Helen Carey	...	Ellen Campbell
Jack Gilpin	...	Bob Phillips
Donna Lows	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer
Butch Williams	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer
Ben Campbell	...	Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff (as Jeffrey Ma)

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

blackjack | based on true story | card counting | massachusetts institute of technology | gambling | 

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Taglines:

They proved the Vegas Blackjack System was beatable - by beating the hell out of it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The main characters upon which the film 21 is based were Asian. Controversially, mostly Caucasian actors were cast. Jim Sturgess required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.

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Goofs

The other members of the team repeatedly make mistakes in tallying the count or even in terms of basic strategy, which they should have definitely mastered, usually so that Ben may show off his "exceptional mind" however since they all play integral roles, they could not function as a team if this were the case with or without Ben as the spotters need to keep the count ready to signal the big player and the big player needs to keep the count so that they can leave when the count is no longer favourable.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ben Campbell: [narrating] 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner.' Those words had been dancing around my head all night. I mean, it's Vegas lore, that phrase. Just ask any of the old-time pit bosses, they'll know. It was a Chinese dealer at Binion's who was first credited with the line. He would shout it every time he dealt blackjack. That was over 40 years ago, and the words still catch. 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner.' Yeah, try it. I had heard it at least 14 times that night. I couldn't lose. First...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Rocker (2008)

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Soundtracks

Giant
Written by David Sardy and Liela Moss
Produced by David Sardy (as D. Sardy)
Performed by David Sardy featuring Liela Moss
Liela Moss appears courtesy of YouAreHere and Shangri-la Recordings

User Reviews

21 Leaves out Elements of the Book, Adds New Excitement

After Reading Ben Mezrich's "Bringing Down the House", upon which this movie is based, I was excited to the movie. I am usually let down by movies that are based on books, but that was not the case this time.

Although there were a handful of cliché parts of the movie, all in all it was excellently done. The visual effects were well done, and the acting on the part of Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth, was exemplary. Some people may criticize Spacey for his 'gusto', but I believe his portrayal of Mickey was stellar.

The movie had suspense, a solid plot line, scattered funny scenes, and a good ending. The people I went with, none of whom had read the book, found it an even better movie than I did. If you like the movie enough, I recommend reading the book for a more complete story.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

21 - The Movie

Filming Locations:

Doyle's Pub - 3484 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,105,943, 30 March 2008

Gross USA:

$81,159,365

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,808,370

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Trigger Street Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1