21: Predictable, Generic Fun
Well, it turns out this writer was right: you could absolutely review 21 based on the trailer alone. Having seen previews for this movie (or even having seen a cinematic work put out by Hollywood once or twice), the movie is predictable from start to finish. But you can also probably predict how you'll feel about 21 from the trailer. If it looks entertaining to you, that's because it is, with it's glittery Vegas backdrop and good-looking cast. If it looks predictable and cheesy, well, it's that, too. The "twists" come at you a mile away and the themes (searching for a father figure, defining oneself not by wealth, etc. etc.) rain down on your head like a plague. But at the same time, it's a PG-13 movie clearly trying to appeal to a younger audience, and it probably will. It's going to be flashy and obvious. It's going to be fond of montages and driving music. For what it is, it's a pretty fun time.
Jim Sturgess plays the endearingly geeky genius MIT senior Ben Campbell whose ability to attend the school of his dreams, Harvard Medical School, is blocked by a pesky little $300,000 tuition. When the shady Professor Rosa (a disappointingly one-note villain's performance by Kevin Spacey) discovers Ben's ability to do math under pressure and keep his cool, he folds Ben into his secret little card-counting operation. This business, as Mickey Rosa calls it, consists of five MIT students who work together to scheme Vegas casinos out of some major cash — using math. To see what else happens and more of my take on it,
