2008 Woodie Awards
"21"
By: Aaron Helfferich
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Film Reviews
The phrase "based on a true story" has become an easy selling point for Hollywood movies. At first, it may sound like an exciting way of saying the filmmakers worked tirelessly to serve you a first-hand look at how a famous event in history truly played out. On the other hand, "based on a true story" could mean nothing but the fact that the premise of the story is still intact, and the events, names, places and outcomes were all changed in order to make a better film. In reality, it's rare that most true stories make great movies. "21" is the latest film that, instead of being the retelling of a true story, is simply just a blockbuster film that was inspired by a true story.
The book is called "Bringing Down the House." The event the book is based on happened when a group of MIT students used their impressive card counting skills to beat the system of Blackjack at casinos in Las Vegas. "21" is the film that tells the story of Ben Campbell. In the book his name is Kevin Lewis, but in real life he's known as Jeff Ma. This is only the first of many things being lost in translation.
Instead of coming from a family with the means of sending their children to college, the story of Jeff Ma is twisted into the story of Ben Campbell. Searching for a way to pay for college, Ben (Jim Sturgess) finds his luck when an egocentric professor (Kevin Spacey) offers him the opportunity to learn the strategies of counting cards. On weekends the ingenious plan has Ben and a team of students flying to Vegas to rake in the money. What they didn't plan on was the compromises it takes.
For a film that was inspired by a true story, it does a lot in making an audience wonder if the events depicted on screen actually happened in real life. When casino security boss (Laurence Fishburne) starts throwing punches with a ring-laden fist because of the legal act of card counting, the film's melodramatic elements start working against the aim. When looking at "21" as a film inspired by a true story, many elements become laughable. Instead, consider it within the ranks of a fictional story like "Oceans 11." As a story exploring the possibilities of elaborate con artists, "21" is a definite crowd pleaser.
Two and a half stars out of four | Letter Grade: B-
Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content, including partial nudity.
Runtime: 123 minutes
Starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey
Directed by Robert Luketic
The book is called "Bringing Down the House." The event the book is based on happened when a group of MIT students used their impressive card counting skills to beat the system of Blackjack at casinos in Las Vegas. "21" is the film that tells the story of Ben Campbell. In the book his name is Kevin Lewis, but in real life he's known as Jeff Ma. This is only the first of many things being lost in translation.
Instead of coming from a family with the means of sending their children to college, the story of Jeff Ma is twisted into the story of Ben Campbell. Searching for a way to pay for college, Ben (Jim Sturgess) finds his luck when an egocentric professor (Kevin Spacey) offers him the opportunity to learn the strategies of counting cards. On weekends the ingenious plan has Ben and a team of students flying to Vegas to rake in the money. What they didn't plan on was the compromises it takes.
For a film that was inspired by a true story, it does a lot in making an audience wonder if the events depicted on screen actually happened in real life. When casino security boss (Laurence Fishburne) starts throwing punches with a ring-laden fist because of the legal act of card counting, the film's melodramatic elements start working against the aim. When looking at "21" as a film inspired by a true story, many elements become laughable. Instead, consider it within the ranks of a fictional story like "Oceans 11." As a story exploring the possibilities of elaborate con artists, "21" is a definite crowd pleaser.
Two and a half stars out of four | Letter Grade: B-
Rated PG-13 for some violence and sexual content, including partial nudity.
Runtime: 123 minutes
Starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey
Directed by Robert Luketic
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