Photo by: courtesey of Sony Picture
If you are looking for a fun, entertaining movie with some talented actors, and a good soundtrack, then look no farther than Sony Pictures’ newest film “21.”
The film follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a shy MIT student who is struggling to pay for his dream: to go to Harvard Medical School. He later finds his answers in counting cards on a blackjack team of fellow students run by his statistics professor Micky Rosa, played by Kevin Spacey. Spacey teaches the team about the real trick and secret coding behind the game of blackjack so that no member could ever lose. The elite teams travel to Las Vegas every weekend to win big money, and have a little fun.
The movie is based on author Ben Mezrich’s 2003 book Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas For Millions. Mezrich’s novel is based on the true story of Kevin Lewis, who is the real MIT student who played blackjack in Las Vegas on the same MIT team with some fellow students in 1993.
Although the film’s cast includes some Hollywood heavyweights such as Kevin Spacey and Lawrence Fishburne, the actor who shines the most is newcomer Jim Sturgess. He really exemplifies Ben, the shy and somewhat awkward young man perfectly, and shows no sign of his native English accent. Not only did Sturgess prove that he can act, but many might already know that he is also a talented singer. He sang a compilation of Beatles’ hits in the film/musical “Across The Universe” that debuted this past fall.
The film’s other high point was its music. The soundtrack includes some good tunes including the breakout band MGMT, whose cool sound that definitely fits the storyline of the movie.
Although most of the actors in the film fit their characters very well, others, such as “Blue Crush” actress Kate Bosworth disappoint. It’s hard to believe that Bosworth, who plays Jill Taylor, is an exceptional MIT student. In several scenes, Bossworth uses her sexuality to tease Ben Campbell into joining the blackjack team after only meeting him once. There are no scenes, which show her doing any work or solving any math problems. It seems that her only role is to look pretty for the math nerds to drool over.
Overall, “21” is a good film. Even though some parts seem a little trite and not as believable as what actually happened, the audience must also remember that it is a Hollywood film with a Hollywood ending.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Denver Boones
