Critics Reviews
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newsblaze.com
The film, with its stylized, dazzling surfaces and twisted, noirish alternately hip and moody atmosphere, does impress with its central stormy romance.
Adapted from the Ben Mezrich bestseller Bringing Down The House and directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde, Monster-in-Law), 21 is loosely based on the true story of six MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) math geniuses who took the Vegas casinos for a ride in the 1990s, and suffered the consequences.
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| Mar 28, 2008Atomic Popcorn
The lights and action are captured well in the faces of the actors along with a great soundtrack to lead us from place to place.
On the whole, the film is a crowd pleaser with a great cast, solid performances and believable characters.
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| Mar 30, 2008Film School Rejects
If the film were boring, I would undoubtedly be on the other side here.
Kevin Spacey hasnt had a meaty, award worthy role in a good long while and this certainly isnt a career highlight, but its fun to watch him here as Micky, and his character reminds you that Vegas does have a dark side.
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andPOP, Canada
And yet, 21 plays into its conventions well.
He has a pair of best friends (Josh Gad and Sam Golzari) and a science project he quickly abandons.
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Bigpicturebigsound.com, NY
In fact, the whole film is beautifully shot.
Director Robert Luketic has helmed his first major motion picture and the result is a "winner, winner, chicken dinner", to quote a popular line in his film, "21".
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| Mar 28, 2008Atomic Popcorn
The lights and action are captured well in the faces of the actors along with a great soundtrack to lead us from place to place.
On the whole, the film is a crowd pleaser with a great cast, solid performances and believable characters.
... Full Review
| Mar 28, 2008Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In any case, these appealing young grifters and their movie are more satisfying than many another Vegas flick, including "Ocean's 12, 13" -- all the way to 21.
Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira and Jacob Pitts do equally well as their fellow scam-gang members, while Spacey is a delicious villain.
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| Mar 28, 2008The Providence Journal
Fortunately, that's not the case as 21 piles on more surprises and takes us to unexpected places.
Movie review: MIT students beat Vegas at its own game in the fact-based 21
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ShowBizCafe.com
And, while I'm firm believer in the adage "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, " 21 doesn't spin a good enough yarn to justify all the changes.
When judged on the basis of story, excitement, surprises, and character development, 21 comes in a distant third.
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| Apr 06, 2008aceshowbiz.com
Seeing the success garnered by the film so far, the movie co-produced by Spacey is reportedly expected to continue to do better at the box office.
The story line of "21" revolves around a group of young men who become experts in the art of card counting, which actually is based on Ben Mezrich's best-selling nonfiction tome "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions.
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