Review: 21
Just saw 21, I’ve been pretty psyched to see it because I really loved the book (my friend Gwen hooked me up with it, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own since it didn’t seem to involve lasers, aliens or giant robots). The book was really engrossing and focussed a lot on the blackjack, as I recall. The movie? Not so much. I give it a 6.5 out of 10. Maybe a 7.
I mean, it was an entertaining movie and as much as I hate to be that guy… it didn’t really do the book justice. I’m all for adapting words to the screen, but this wasn’t so much an adaption as a taking a single idea, counting cards in a team, and using it as an excuse to make a reasonably standard hollywood movie. As a smart guys gone bad movie, I much preferred Better Luck Tomorrow as a much more interesting view of such events, although I appreciated the homage to BLT in the film (”What, is this some kind of math club?”). And as a gambling movie I preferred Rounders.
Still, it was a fun movie. The acting was pretty good. I totally thought Choi (Aaron Yoo) was that guy from The Perfect Score, reprising his role there. Huh. But you know, I can’t tell asians apart. Kevin Spacey was good, playing his standard self very well. Kate Hudson, well, she can do no wrong, and I even liked the main dude even though I just saw Across the Universe and his boston accent would come and go.
I think it was cluttered by too much attempt to force some external drama into the mix, what with the Harvard thing, the best friends, the competition. There was plenty of drama centered on the game and the team which would have, in my opinion, focussed the movie and made it truer to the book. I just don’t think they needed to force motivation on the main actor to try and play this game. I mean, the best friend summed it up, “Money, Girls, Partying, Vegas?” Yeah I would have blown off the competition, too. Should have dropped that whole subplot.
I’d wait for this to come out on DVD or tv or your next plane flight. Entertaining enough but nothing particularly special or interesting. Far more interesting is to read the book or some of the blogs of the folks from the actual MIT blackjack team.
