Jim Sturgess—Ben Campbell
Kevin Spacey—Micky Rosa
Kate Bosworth—Jill Taylor
Aaron Yoo—Choi
Liza Lapira—Kianna
Jacob Pitts—Fisher
Laurence Fishburne—Cole Williams
Jack McGee—Terry
Josh Gad—Miles Connoly
Sam Golzari—Cam
Directed by Robert Luketic
Screenplay by Petter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb; based on the book “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich
Runtime: 123 Minutes
Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content including partial nudity
People aren’t stupid. Hey, I live in this modern world too, so I know how hard it is to believe that statement. But, as a general rule, most people have it together. Unfortunately, there are enough exceptions to that rule for the entertainment industry to keep feeding us a lot of drivel. So, it’s refreshing when a sharply written movie with outside-the-norm subject matter finds its way out of the art-houses and into the Cineplex. It’s equally frustrating when that movie sinks to the same, intelligence-insulting standards as most popular entertainment and expects its audience blindly follow the lead. 21 is that type of movie—an intelligent, witty film that ultimately stumbles thanks to fickle plotting and seemingly low opinion of its audience’s intelligence.
Ben Campbell is ridiculously intelligent, but far from rich, so his dreams of attending Harvard Med School seem like a long shot. Things change when his MIT professor, Mickey Ross, inducts him into a club of students trained in the art of card counting. During weekend trips to Las Vegas, the team makes a killing at the blackjack tables, living a life of luxury and adventure. However, greed (and an old-school Vegas enforcer) soon leaves Ben feeling that he’s gambled too much.
21 is an interesting tale that never fails to hold your interest. It has the tried-and-true quality of pulling back the curtain and letting the audience catch a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in a world few of us will ever see. Both the card-counting hustlers and Casino security are worthy of our sympathy in their own ways, which makes for a compelling story (and makes the inconsistencies all the more frustrating, but more on that later). The dialogue is usually sharp, and all the actors do a fine job of bringing their characters to life. Kevin Spacey is a treat (as usual) and Jim Sturgess continues to distinguish himself as a talented actor with amazing charisma. Young Jim is just one great movie away from true, Hollywood superstardom.
Unfortunately, this isn’t Jim’s lucky day. While 21 is a good film, it ultimately comes up a little short of greatness. For all of its intelligence, 21’s biggest shortcoming is that it sometimes depends on the stupidity of its audience. The film tries to manipulate viewer sympathies—not in itself a crime, seeing as how that is the job of most any movie. However, the methods are suspect. Rather than count on the natural development of character and plot to dictate our emotions, we are expected to cheer and boo on cue like some studio audience being flashed with an “Applause!” sign. Acting as Ben’s jealous rival on the team, the character of Fisher eventually gets ousted by Mickey Rosa after a juvenile stunt that nearly blows their cover. The audience, naturally, sympathizes with Ben (the hard working, good looking, numerical savant), and Fisher’s downfall is seen as a cause for celebration. However, when Ben behaves in a similar manner later in the film, we are asked to gloss over it. Despite the fact that Spacey’s character devoted his time to training the team and has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars at Ben’s expense, the audience is expected to turn on him because the filmmakers have pasted a big, flashing sign over his head that says “Hi, I’m the bad guy.” Micky Rosa is an ethically shady character, but at the pivotal moment when he becomes the “villain”, he is 100% in the right.
Similarly, the film sends mixed messages as to how the audience should react to Ben’s increasing detachment from his family and former friends. 21 spends a great deal of time selling the Vegas mystique. Ben often talks of the exciting, glamorous new purpose his life has, and we are taken along for the ride. His new friends are hip, cool, beautiful and (other than Fisher) actually decent people, so what’s not to like? Conversely, his former friends are painted as awkward geeks who need to put down their computer chips and live Life (capital “L”). Sure, they’re swell guys, but how many people would choose them over a high-rolling identity? Then, the audience is again asked to suddenly change gears and condemn Ben for choosing this new life of women, excitement, and financial freedom. I agree that loyalty to your friends is important, but why did you just spend the first hour convincing me that Ben’s old life was worthless and he needed to do something exciting while he still could?
The movie is filled with these clichéd moments of 180-degree turnabouts, where we are expected to blindly follow the whims of the filmmaker—not because it makes logical sense, but because it is convenient for the plot. Don’t get me wrong—it’s a good plot, with interesting characters and no loose ends. But it tries to feed us two completely contradictory morals when it should have either stuck with one or dropped both.
The 411: 21 is a solid, enjoyable affair, with a compelling story, sharp writing and memorable performances. Unfortunately, it tends to be lazy and inconsistent in execution. The result is a movie that would have you believe its smart and intricate, when in reality it’s just slightly above average. Still, they almost pulled it off, and its fun to watch them try.
I get what you're saying, and I guess it's a fair point. Still...your method of
accusing a movie of being too preachy is...well....preachy itself. This was one
of those movies that was fun, and THAT was its most redeeming quality.
Posted By: Frank (Guest) on March 31, 2008 at 10:48 AM
If 'ol Kevin Spacey hadn't been in bed with Hugo Chavez, then I might have paid
to see it.
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on March 31, 2008 at 09:44 PM
