21

The theme of coolness definitely seemed to be the main objective in Robert Luketic's high energy 21. I actually saw this almost a year ago today when it was first released. I bought the DVD when it came out (I think it even came with a nifty deck of cards), and watched it again upon buying it. I kind of remember liking it better when I had first seen it on the big screen, so after this one viewing of the DVD I decided to put it back on my shelf. And on my DVD shelf it sat, until last night. :)

21 is the based on the true story tale of a group of MIT students who decide to live out their every fantasies by counting cards in Las Vegas on the weekends. What starts as an almost hobby though, soon becomes an addiction that's hard to quit.

Ben Campbell, a young hopefully trained doctor, decides to take up this unique opportunity to suffice his needing of cash to pay for his schooling at Harvard. He's smart, and has everything going for him...well, except that he needs his tuition cost.

This time when watching it, I enjoyed it again. It's an ultra cool, slick look at life living out the high rollers every dream.

I think what I like most about 21 is this sense of friendship and an almost family between these few students. Maybe it's my own wanting to put myself in their group that I identify with? Who knows. I doubt I could really cut it as a card counter anyway. ;)

Jim Sturgess is more then nice to look at, and gives a very honest portrayal of Ben. I quite liked Kate Bosworth too in her role. Kevin Spacey adds his own charm as usual, but nothing really else. This role seemed easy for him. Same goes for Laurence Fishburne too. The two standouts for me are Liza Lapira and Aaron Yoo (you may recognize him from Disturbia). They are fun, witty, and looked as if they were truly having the times of their lives.

Is this the most amazing film I have ever seen? No, and yes, it does sort of run on the slow side at times. But it is a fun entertaining film, with a killer soundtrack. I give it a 7/10.

The DVD features include a few featurettes and a filmmaker commentary. This film is rated PG-13 and runs 123 minutes.