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{{Short description|2008 film by Robert Luketic}}
{{Cleanup|date=March 2008}}
{{Infobox Film {{Infobox film
| name = 21 | name = 21
| image = Twenty one poster.jpg | image = 21 (2008 film).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Promotional poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = ]
| director = ]
| producer = ]<br>]<br>Dana Brunetti<br>Michael De Luca
| producer = {{plainlist|
| writer = ]<br>Peter Steinfeld<br>]
* ]
| starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| music = ] * ]
* ]
}}
| writer = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
}}
| based_on = {{Based on|'']''|]}}
| starring = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Kevin Spacey
}}
| music = ]
| cinematography = ] | cinematography = ]
| editing = Elliot Graham | editing = ]
| studio = {{plainlist|
| distributor = ]
* ]<ref name="afi">{{cite web|title=21 (2008)|work=]|access-date=23 March 2021|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Film/64789-21?sid=9abdc143-fc97-4c60-993e-0cdd6e86c963&sr=8.968543&cp=1&pos=0}}</ref>
| released = {{flagicon|United States}} ] ]<br />{{flagicon|Germany}} ] ]<br />{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} ] ]<br />{{flagicon|Russia}} ] ]<br />{{flagicon|South Africa}} ] ]<br />{{flagicon|Bahrain}} ] ]<br />
* ]
| runtime = 123 min
* ]
| country = ]
* Michael De Luca Productions
| language = ]
}}
| budget = $35 million
| distributor = ]<ref name="afi"/>
| gross =
| released = {{Film date|2008|3|28}}
| website = http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/21/
| runtime = 123 minutes
| imdb_id = 0478087
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $35 million
| gross = $159.8 million
}} }}
'''''21''''' is a 2008 American ] ] directed by ] and distributed by ]. The film is inspired by the story of the ] as told in '']'', the best-selling 2003 book by ]. The film stars ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. ''21'' was a box office success and was the number one film in the United States and Canada during its first and second weekends of release, despite some mixed reviews.

'''''21''''' (referred to in advertising as "'''''21: The Movie'''''") is a ] ] from ]. It is directed by Australian director ] ('']'') and stars ], ], ], and ]. The film is inspired by the true story of the ].
The film draws from '']'', the best-selling book by ]. Its tagline is "They proved Vegas blackjack was beatable...by beating the hell out of it."


==Plot== ==Plot==
Ben Campbell is a student at MIT who has just been accepted into ] Medical School. The movie begins with him talking to a man who is associated with the Robinson Scholarship. One person is awarded the scholarship, which pays for all expenses for school. The recruiter tells Campbell that he needs to write an essay that will dazzle them, that will make Campbell stand out. Ben Campbell, a mathematics major at the ], is accepted into ], but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. He applies for the prestigious Robinson Scholarship, which would cover the entire cost. Despite having a ] score of 44 (at the time, MCAT scoring was on a scale of 3-45) and high grades, he faces fierce competition, and is told by the director that the scholarship will only go to whichever student dazzles him.


During a class, Professor Micky Rosa challenges Campbell with the ], and Campbell's answer satisfies him. He is then invited to play on the ] team at MIT. There are five members and they all use a complex language of hand signals, spotters, and big players to ] and win money at the tables. Campbell initially declines, but eventually joins the team. After weeks of intensive training, he is given a test in a local bar that he passes. He then joins the team to go to ]. Back at MIT, Professor Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the ], which he solves. After looking at Ben's 97% score on his latest non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join the ], consisting of fellow students Choi, Fisher, Jill and Kianna. Using ] and covert signalling, they increase their probability of winning at casinos, leading them to earn substantial profits.


Over many weekends, the team is flown to ] and Ben comes to enjoy his luxurious life as a ]. The team is impressed by Ben's skill, but Fisher becomes jealous and fights him while drunk, leading Micky to expel him. Cole Williams, the head of security at ], has been monitoring the team and begins to focus on Ben.
At Las Vegas, Campbell's performance impresses Rosa, provoking jealousy from fellow team member Fisher. On a later trip, a drunken Fisher sits at Campbell's table and starts talking about the "retard" in '']'' and how he makes a killing at the blackjack tables. He then spills some of his drink on the table, causing a fight. Rosa kicks Fisher off the team and sends him home.


Ben's devotion to ] causes him to neglect his role in an engineering competition, which estranges him from his friends. During the next trip to Vegas, he is emotionally distracted and fails to walk away from the table when signaled, causing him to lose $200,000. Micky is angered and quits the team, demanding Ben repay the $200,000. Ben and three of the students decide that they will continue to play blackjack without Micky, but they are caught by Williams, whom Micky tipped off. Williams beats up Ben and warns him not to return. He also reveals his own personal history with Micky, once a successful card counter who got Williams fired after winning over a million dollars in one night at his casino while he was away at his father's funeral.
Meanwhile, Cole Williams, a security guard, monitors Campbell. During one of his weeks in MIT, he accidentally gives the wrong part to his two teammates of the 2.0.9 competition. His teammates kick him off the team. Campbell is very distracted during the next trip to Vegas and loses $200,000. An angry Rosa goes home and says that Campbell will pay him back for every cent that he lost. Campbell and his three teammates decide to bankroll their own money and go to the Riveria. During the session, however, Williams finds Campbell and beats him up before letting him go.


Ben learns he is ineligible for graduation because a course taught by an associate of Micky's is marked as incomplete (with Micky's influence, the professor initially gives Ben a passing grade throughout the year without him having to work or even show up to class). His winnings are stolen from his dorm room. Suspecting Micky, Ben confers with his teammates and they persuade Micky to make a final trip to Vegas before the casinos install ]. The team puts on disguises and returns to Planet Hollywood, winning $640,000 before Williams spots them.
Campbell comes back to find that his money (which he stored in the ceiling ofhis dorm room) is missing. He then asks Rosa to become a big player, promising to take away the most amount of money ever. Rosa agrees. All of them wear disguises and return to the Planet Hollywood casino. They rake in a large take, but Williams finds them again, and chases the team throughout the casino. Campbell and Rosa shove their chips into a bag and flee. During the chase, Campbell switches the bags with his girlfriend Jill Taylor. Campbell and Rosa then break up in different directions, and tosses the bag loaded with candy into Rosa's hands.


Micky flees with the bag of chips but realizes he has been set up when he discovers that the bag is full of chocolate coins. It is revealed that Ben and Williams made a deal to lure Micky to Vegas so that Williams could capture him. Williams' men take Micky, and Cole explains he's going to get in contact with a friend of his with the ] about Micky's untaxed winnings. In exchange, Williams commits to allowing Ben to keep his winnings for that day, but later ]es him as he is leaving, taking the bag of chips at gunpoint. When Ben protests, Williams explains he needs retirement funds, whereas intelligent people like Ben will always find a way to succeed.
Rosa gets away and dives into a limo, only to find that the limo is being driven by the casino manager. It is revealed, in flashback, that when Williams was beating Campbell up, he instead made a deal with him. Williams would permit Campbell to come back one more time and make a killing, as long as he gave up Rosa. Williams catches Taylor and Campbell as they walk out, brabdishes a gun, and tells them to toss the bag of casino chips to them. Campbell reluctantly complies.


Ben's long-time friends (with whom he has reconciled) Miles and Cam also turn out to be quite good at card-counting while working with Choi and Kianna during Micky's capture and as such, the six-person team make a lot of money, despite Williams' robbery of Ben and Micky's chips. The film ends with Ben recounting the tale to the dazzled and dumbfounded scholarship director.
In the present, Campbell finishes telling his story to the recruiter, stating that in his life, he won a fortune twice &ndash; and lost it two times.


==Cast== ==Cast==
{{cast listing|
*] as Ben Campbell, the protagonist, an ] student incredibly good with numbers, but in need of money, who becomes a member of the blackjack team. Based on ].<ref>http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36103</ref>
* ] as Ben Campbell
*] as Mickey Rosa, ] professor and the corrupt leader of the blackjack team. Based on a composite of J.P. Massar and Johnny Chang<ref>http://argus.theorem.ca/view.php?aid=39159</ref>
* ] as Jill Taylor
*] as Professor Hanes, who awards the tech team for its robot.
* ] as Micky Rosa
*] as Jill Taylor, a member of the blackjack team. Based on ].
* ] as Cole Williams
*] as Cole Williams, a casino security agent, who becomes determined to take down the team. Based on employees of ].<ref>http://www.craveonline.com/articles/lifestyle/04649964/jeff_ma_gets_21.html</ref>
*] as Choi, a member of the blackjack team * ] as Choi
*] as Kianna, another blackjack team member * ] as Kianna
*] as Miles Connolly * ] as Fisher
* ] as Miles
*] as ] student Cam Kazazi. Based on Matt Lau.
* ] as Cam
*] as Fisher, another blackjack team member. Based on Mike Aponte.
*] as Terry * ] as Terry
* Helen Carey as Ellen Campbell
*] as Head Bouncer
* ] as Bob Phillips

}}
Ma, the person whom Ben Campbell is based on (known as Kevin Lewis in Mezrich's book), makes a cameo as Jeffrey, a dealer in ].

This is the third film in which Spacey and Bosworth have starred together. The first was '']'', which Spacey directed, and the second was '']''. The two will again star together in the ''Superman Returns'' sequel '']''. This is also the second film that Bosworth and director Luketic have made together, the first being '']''.

===Controversy===
Although the main characters upon which the film 21 is based were Asian-American, studio executives determined that "most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N43/43vegas.html |title=MIT Alumnus and ‘Busting Vegas’ Author Describe Experience of Beating the House |accessdate=2008-03-29 |author=Kevin Der |date=] |work=]}}</ref>

Supporters of the decision to cast Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell claim that producers simply sought the best actor for the job, regardless of race. Ultimately, this meant passing over many Asian-American talents in favor of London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak American English.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.projo.com/movies/content/lb_jimsturgess_03-28-08_FM9FG9C_v17.2381fe6.html |title=Movies: 21 star Jim Sturgess got a crash course in card counting |accessdate=2008-04-02 |author=Michael Janusonis
|date=] |work=]}}</ref> MIT Blackjack Team member Jane Willis (who is Caucasian), upon whom the character Jill Taylor was based, elaborated upon how race and gender were an integral part of the team's dynamic. In recounting the story of when ] introduced her to the ], she said, "I think it dawned on that we could play blackjack and also give the team, which was mostly Asian and male, a little diversity."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/03/25/count_her_out/?page=full |title=Count her out |accessdate=2008-03-29 |author=Mark Shanahan |date=] |work=]}}</ref>

Nick Rogers of '']'' wrote "The real-life students mostly were Asian-Americans, but “21” whitewashes its cast and disappointingly lumps its only major Asian actors (Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira) into one-note designations as the team’s ] and a slot-playing “loser.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enterprisenews.com/entertainment/x1565506635 |title=When the stakes are high, ‘21’ folds |accessdate=2008-03-29 |author=Nick Rogers |date=] |work=]}}</ref>

Posters calling the film racist could be seen in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/03/calling-the-blu.html |title=Calling the bluff: Is '21' racist? |accessdate=2008-03-29 |author=Youyoung Lee |date=] |publisher=PopWatch Blog on '']''}}</ref>

Jeff Ma, who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell, was accused of being a "race traitor" on several blogs. In response, Ma said, "I'm not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn't get to cast it."<ref name=berton>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/27/DDQEVM8MQ.DTL |title=Hollywood deals Jeff Ma a good hand with '21' |accessdate=2008-03-29 |author=Justin Berton |date=] |work=]}}</ref>


==Production== ==Production==
The scenes in the MIT bar were actually filmed at the People's Republic. MIT would not allow filming on campus. Filming also took place at ]<ref>http://bostonmovietours.net/blog/2007/04/21-filming-at-harvard-medical-school.html</ref> and the ] in ]. MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium, and the alumni reception were all shot at ].<ref>http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2007/02/27/News/Actor.Producer.Spacey.Brings.Filming.To.Bu.Castle-2745647.shtml</ref> The filming of ''21'' began in March 2007. Principal filming of the ] scenes took place at the ], the ], and the ] in Las Vegas. Filming also took place at Harvard Medical School, ], in Cambridge, and the ] in ], ]. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not allow filming on campus, the MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium and the alumni reception were all shot at ].


==Reception==
The movie began filming from March 2007.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478087/business Visit for verification</ref>
===Critical response===
On review aggregator ] 36% of 172 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 5.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''21'' could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009192-21/ |title=21 Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=August 27, 2021|website=]| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091122114133/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009192-21/#trailers| archive-date= 22 November 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> ] gave the film an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/21 |title=21 (2008): Reviews |access-date=2008-04-02 |website=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402235217/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/21 |archive-date=2 April 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by ] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "21**" in the search box|publisher=]|access-date=May 19, 2020}}</ref>{{Better reference needed|reason=Empty search box not a suitable reference due to ]|date=December 2024}}


==Critical reception== ===Box office===
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $24,105,943 in 2,648 theaters in the United States and Canada, averaging $9,103 per venue and ranking first at the box office.<ref name="weekend">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=21.htm |title=21 (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |access-date=2008-04-06 |website=]}}</ref> The film was also the number one film in its second weekend of release, losing 36% of its audience, grossing $15,337,418, expanding to 2,653 theaters, and averaging $5,781 per venue. The film dropped to third place in its third weekend, losing 32% of its audience, grossing $10,470,173, expanding to 2,736 theaters, and averaging $3,827 per venue. By the fourth weekend it fell to sixth place, losing 47% of its audience, grossing $5,520,362 expanding to 2,903 theaters, and averaging $1,902 per venue.
21 received generally negative to mixed reviews from critics. As of ], 2008, the review aggregator ] reported that 32% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 107 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10009192-21/ |title=21 Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-04-02 |publisher=]}}</ref> ] reported the film had an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/21 |title=21 (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-04-02 |publisher=]}}</ref> However it has a 7.0 rating on ].


By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed a total of $157,802,470 worldwide—$81,159,365 in the United States and Canada and $76,643,105 in other territories, against a budget estimated at $35 million.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=21.htm |title=21 (2008) |access-date=2008-04-28 |website=]}}</ref>
==Box office performance==
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $24,105,943 in 2,648 theaters in the ] and ], averaging $9,103 per venue and ranking #1 at the box office.<ref name=weekend>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=21.htm |title=21 (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |accessdate=2008-04-06 |publisher=]}}</ref> The film was also the #1 film in its second weekend of release, losing just 36% of its audience, grossing $15,337,418, expanding to 2,653 theaters, and averaging $5,781 per venue. The film dropped to #3 in its third weekend, losing only 32% of its audience, grossing $10,470,173, expanding to 2,736 theaters, and averaging $3,827 per venue. It fell to #6 in its fourth weekend, losing 47% of its audience, grossing $5,520,362 expanding to 2,903 theaters and averaging $1,902 per venue.


===Casting controversy===
As of ], 2008, it has grossed a total of $116,403,094 worldwide &mdash; $78,959,237 in the United States and Canada and $37,443,857 in other territories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=21.htm |title=21 (2008) |accessdate=2008-04-28 |publisher=]}}</ref>
{{Anchor|Controversy}}
A race-based controversy arose over the decision to make the majority of the characters ], even though the main players in the book '']'', upon which the film ''21'' is based, were mainly ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/21mitblackjack.php |title=Real MIT Blackjack Team - 21 Movie True Story |work=chasingthefrog.com |access-date=March 31, 2013}}</ref> However, the real-world MIT blackjack team has not been consistently majority-Asian, and only one of the characters in the book was based on a real person; the rest were composites or fabrications. Ben Kaplan, who is Jewish, stated "While Ben Mezrich has been quoted as saying that Micky Rosa was a composite of myself, J.P. Massar, and John Chang, the fact is there is little, if anything, that resembles either of us except that he started and ran the team and was focused on running the team as a business".<ref name="auto"> History vs. Hollywood</ref> The lead role was given to London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Janusonis |first1=Michael |title=Movies: 21 star Jim Sturgess got a crash course in card counting |url=http://www.projo.com/movies/content/lb_jimsturgess_03-28-08_FM9FG9C_v17.2381fe6.html |website=projo.com |access-date=29 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411012916/http://www.projo.com/movies/content/lb_jimsturgess_03-28-08_FM9FG9C_v17.2381fe6.html |archive-date=April 11, 2008 |language=en |url-status=dead }}</ref>


], who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell and served as a consultant on the film, was attacked as being a "]" on several blogs for not insisting that his character be Asian-American. In response, Ma said, "I'm not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn't get to cast it."<ref name="berton">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/27/DDQEVM8MQ.DTL |title=Hollywood deals Jeff Ma a good hand with '21' |access-date=2008-03-29 |author=Justin Berton |date=2008-03-27 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329121201/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2008%2F03%2F27%2FDDQEVM8MQ.DTL |archive-date=29 March 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Ma said that the controversy was "overblown" and that the important aspect is that a talented actor would portray him.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N12/blackjack.html |title=INTERVIEW MIT, Vegas, Hollywood |newspaper=] |first=Jillian A. |last=Berry |date=March 14, 2008 |access-date=March 31, 2013 |archive-date=June 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617114929/http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N12/blackjack.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ma, who is ], told '']'', "I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2008-03-25-jeff-ma-21_N.htm | work=USA Today | title=New film '21' counts on the real deal for inspiration | first=Scott | last=Bowles | date=2008-03-26 | access-date=2010-04-23}}</ref> He also says that major Ben Campbell plot elements, such as his father's death and the romance between him and Kate Bosworth's character, were fabrications and not based on anything that happened in Ma's life.<ref name="auto"/>
==Factual inaccuracies==
{{original research|date=May 2008}}
*In the film, "]" stayed at the blackjack table continuing to play after the "]" joined the game. The reasoning given was so that the spotter could help keep the card count, in case the big player became distracted, and also to be the first line of defense to warn the big player should trouble arise (e.g. casino personnel becoming suspicious). According to real-life accounts, the spotter would leave the table soon after signaling the big player that the deck was hot (i.e. the card count was good). This was done so as to allow a greater chance for the big-betting player to receive winning cards, as more players at the table would lower this probability.


Nick Rogers of '']'' wrote, "The real-life students mostly were Asian-Americans, but ''21'' ] its cast and disappointingly lumps its only Asian-American actors (Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira) into one-note designations as the team's kleptomaniac and a slot-playing 'loser.'"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enterprisenews.com/entertainment/x1565506635 |title=When the stakes are high, '21' folds |access-date=2008-03-29 |author=Nick Rogers |date=2008-03-26 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401011250/http://www.enterprisenews.com/entertainment/x1565506635 |archive-date=2008-04-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Many details related to casino game protection mechanisms were simplified or incorrect. "]" seems to have stood in for a wide array of new technologies that are changing the nature of game protection.


The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) reported on their web site: "After the 'white-washing' issue was raised on ''Entertainment Weekly''{{'}}s web site, producer ] wrote: "Believe me, I would have LOVED to cast Asians in the lead roles, but the truth is, we didn't have access to any bankable Asian-American actors that we wanted."<ref name="manaa.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.manaa.org/twentyonedvd.html |title=CONTROVERSY STILL SURROUNDS DVD RELEASE OF MOVIE "21" |work=manaa.org |access-date=March 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220201/http://www.manaa.org/twentyonedvd.html |archive-date=2013-10-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*In the beginning of the film, Ben cycles toward MIT on the ]. In the next scene, he is instead shown cycling off Anderson Bridge which leads to Harvard's Kennedy School. Immediately after, he is shown arriving on MIT's campus.


==Home media==
*After Ben and Jill leave the People's Republic they are seen having a conversation on a Red Line Train. In the wide shot, the destination display near the ceiling can clearly be seen to say that the train is "Express to Davis". However, city lights can be seen reflected in the windows behind them. The trip from Central Square (where the Republic is located) to Davis is entirely underground. Furthermore, when Jill exits the train, both the announcer and platform sign indicate that the train has stopped at Quincy Center. Davis is three stops North of Central, whereas Quincy Center is at the completely opposite end of the line. An express train to Davis would not have been headed in that direction, let alone stop at the station.
''21'' was released on ], ] and ] in Region 1 on July 21, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018CWW5K |work=] |title=21 (Single-Disc Edition) (2008) |date=22 July 2008 |access-date=March 31, 2013}}</ref>


==Reaction from casinos==
*Ben Campbell gets the Monty Hall question wrong. Mickey Rosa states the question incorrectly. You are only guaranteed to improve your odds if Monty Hall always opens a door and always gives you a chance to switch your choice. If he only does that when you guessed correctly the first time, switching would always be a bad idea.
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2018}}
In pre-production, the producers and the book's original writers predicted that the Las Vegas casinos would be unhelpful, as a film that told viewers the basics of card counting might hurt their bottom line. A featurette included with the DVD completely and accurately describes the "Hi-Lo" system used by the MIT Blackjack Club and by Rosa's team in the film.


The writers of the film were told by the producers that MGM Studios would finance the film, though all "MGM" casinos (including one used by the real MIT Blackjack Team) are owned by ] and are no longer related to MGM Studios. As another DVD featurette reveals, the casinos (including MGM Resorts) saw the film as an attention-getter; people who saw it would be encouraged to go to Vegas and play. The film withheld critical strategy details (such as the conversion from the "running count" to a "true count"), and most beginning card counters underestimate the number and value of the mistakes they make.
*When Ben is celebrating his 21st birthday, he refers to the numbers on his cake (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ...) as the Fibonacci <i>series</i>, when it is in fact the ]. It is not considered a series because the terms of the sequence are defined recursively.


==Soundtrack== ==Soundtrack==
<!-- https://www.amazon.com/Music-Motion-Picture-21-Various/dp/B0013FNC7E -->
{{Infobox Album
{{Infobox album
| Name = 21
| Type = Soundtrack | name = 21
| type = Soundtrack
| Artist = ]
| Cover = | artist = Various Artists
| Cover size = | cover = blank
| alt =
| Released = ], ]
| released = {{film date|2008|3|18}}
| Recorded =
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| Genre = ]
| Length = | venue =
| studio =
| Label = ]
| genre = ]
| Reviews = *] {{rating-5|3.0}}
| length =
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| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = 21 - Music from the Motion Picture
| type = Soundtrack
| single1 = ]" (] Remix)
| single1date = February 19, 2008
| single2 = ]
| single2date = August 11, 2008
}}
}} }}


{{Album ratings
===Tracklisting===
|rev1=]
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jzfrxzejld6e |title=allmusic ((( 21 > Overview ))) |accessdate=2008-04-02 |author=Marisa Brown |publisher=]}}</ref>
|rev1score={{rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic"/>
#] &mdash; "]" (Remixed by ]) (6:07)
}}
#] &mdash; "]" (Super Clean Version) (4:20)
The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1334045|pure_url=yes}} |title=21 |access-date=2008-04-02 |first=Marisa |last=Brown |work=]}}</ref>
#] &mdash; "Big Ideas" (5:41)

#] featuring ] &mdash; "Giant" (3:42)
# ]—"]" (Remixed by ]) (6:07)
#] &mdash; "Always" (3:38)
# ]—"]" (Super Clean Version) (4:20)
#] &mdash; "]" (4:37)
# ]—"]" (5:41)
#] featuring ] &mdash; "Mad Pursuit" (4:16)
# ] featuring Liela Moss—"Giant" (3:42)
#Get Shakes &mdash; "Sister Self Doubt" (4:22)
#] &mdash; "I Am The Unknown" (5:27) # ]—"Always" (3:38)
# ]—"]" (4:37)
#] &mdash; "]" (3:34)
#Knivez Out &mdash; "Alright" (3:31) # Shook One —"Soul Position" (4:16)
# Get Shakes—"Sister Self Doubt" (4:22)
#] &mdash; "Tropical Moonlight" (3:28)
# ]—"I Am The Unknown" (5:27)
#] &mdash; "Hold My Hand" (4:58)
#] featuring ] &mdash; "]" (3:32) # ]—"]" (3:34)
# Knivez Out—"Alright" (3:31)
#] &mdash; "]" (2:51)
# ]—"Tropical Moonlight" (3:28)
# ]—"Hold My Hand" (4:58)
# ] featuring ]—"]" (3:32)
# ]—"Tender Buttons" (2:51)

;Other tracks
* Although it is not included in the soundtrack, ]'s "Slippin' Away" (Axwell Vocal Remix) plays in the scene when Ben is passing through airport security.
* The song "Everybody Get Dangerous" by ] was also featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack since it was not yet released. It would later be released on Weezer's 2008 record, '']''. It is played on a distant radio when the team is in a poker club.
* The songs "]" by ] and "Music is Happiness" by ] were also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.
* The song "]" by ] (feat. ]) was also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.
* In the promotional trailers, "]" by ] was used.
* During the restaurant scene where the team explains to Ben how they work, "Home" by ] can be heard playing in the background.
* The song "Again with the Subtitles" by Texas artist ] is another uncredited song in the film.
* The track played as the team makes off at the end of the film is "Rito a Los Angeles" by ], which features part of the main riff of "]". This track is also used in '']'', the first sequel to the caper film '']'', about actually robbing casinos in Vegas.
* ] by ] was featured in the trailers.


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|Film|United States}}
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==Notes== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|2}}


==External links== ==External links==
* * {{official website|http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/21/}}
*{{imdb title|id=0478087|title=21}} * {{IMDb title|0478087|21}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=10009192-21|title=21}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|10009192-21|21}}
*{{metacritic film|id=21|title=21}} * {{Metacritic film|title=21}}
*{{mojo title|id=21|title=21}} * {{mojo title|21|21}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309023358/http://tech.mit.edu/V125/N43/43vegas.html |date=2017-03-09 }}
*{{amg movie|id=1:386347|title=21}}
* Photos of the filming of ''21'' near the campus of MIT: {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050537/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N20/graphics/21bridge-3.html |date=2016-10-19 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222151059/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N20/graphics/21bridge-5.html |date=2016-12-22 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050506/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N20/graphics/21bridge-2.html |date=2016-10-19 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050530/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N20/graphics/21bridge-0.html |date=2016-10-19 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050513/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N20/graphics/21bridge-1.html |date=2016-10-19 }}
*
*Photos of the filming of '21' near the campus of MIT: * {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050526/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N13/graphics/blackjack-2.html |date=2016-10-19 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019050522/http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N13/graphics/blackjack-1.html |date=2016-10-19 }}
* with links to different national sites
*
* with links to different national sites


{{Robert Luketic}}
{{Box Office Leaders USA
| before = ]
| date = March 30
| date2 = April 6
| year = 2008
| after = ]
}}


{{Box Office Leaders UK
| before = ]
| date = April 13
| date2 = April 27
| year = 2008
| after = ]
}}


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Latest revision as of 06:53, 13 January 2025

2008 film by Robert Luketic
21
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Luketic
Written by
Based onBringing Down the House
by Ben Mezrich
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRussell Carpenter
Edited byElliot Graham
Music byDavid Sardy
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • March 28, 2008 (2008-03-28)
Running time123 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million
Box office$159.8 million

21 is a 2008 American heist drama film directed by Robert Luketic and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film is inspired by the story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling 2003 book by Ben Mezrich. The film stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh. 21 was a box office success and was the number one film in the United States and Canada during its first and second weekends of release, despite some mixed reviews.

Plot

Ben Campbell, a mathematics major at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is accepted into Harvard Medical School, but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. He applies for the prestigious Robinson Scholarship, which would cover the entire cost. Despite having a Medical College Admission Test score of 44 (at the time, MCAT scoring was on a scale of 3-45) and high grades, he faces fierce competition, and is told by the director that the scholarship will only go to whichever student dazzles him.

Back at MIT, Professor Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the Monty Hall Problem, which he solves. After looking at Ben's 97% score on his latest non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join the MIT Blackjack Team, consisting of fellow students Choi, Fisher, Jill and Kianna. Using card counting and covert signalling, they increase their probability of winning at casinos, leading them to earn substantial profits.

Over many weekends, the team is flown to Las Vegas and Ben comes to enjoy his luxurious life as a high roller. The team is impressed by Ben's skill, but Fisher becomes jealous and fights him while drunk, leading Micky to expel him. Cole Williams, the head of security at Planet Hollywood, has been monitoring the team and begins to focus on Ben.

Ben's devotion to blackjack causes him to neglect his role in an engineering competition, which estranges him from his friends. During the next trip to Vegas, he is emotionally distracted and fails to walk away from the table when signaled, causing him to lose $200,000. Micky is angered and quits the team, demanding Ben repay the $200,000. Ben and three of the students decide that they will continue to play blackjack without Micky, but they are caught by Williams, whom Micky tipped off. Williams beats up Ben and warns him not to return. He also reveals his own personal history with Micky, once a successful card counter who got Williams fired after winning over a million dollars in one night at his casino while he was away at his father's funeral.

Ben learns he is ineligible for graduation because a course taught by an associate of Micky's is marked as incomplete (with Micky's influence, the professor initially gives Ben a passing grade throughout the year without him having to work or even show up to class). His winnings are stolen from his dorm room. Suspecting Micky, Ben confers with his teammates and they persuade Micky to make a final trip to Vegas before the casinos install biometric software. The team puts on disguises and returns to Planet Hollywood, winning $640,000 before Williams spots them.

Micky flees with the bag of chips but realizes he has been set up when he discovers that the bag is full of chocolate coins. It is revealed that Ben and Williams made a deal to lure Micky to Vegas so that Williams could capture him. Williams' men take Micky, and Cole explains he's going to get in contact with a friend of his with the IRS about Micky's untaxed winnings. In exchange, Williams commits to allowing Ben to keep his winnings for that day, but later double-crosses him as he is leaving, taking the bag of chips at gunpoint. When Ben protests, Williams explains he needs retirement funds, whereas intelligent people like Ben will always find a way to succeed.

Ben's long-time friends (with whom he has reconciled) Miles and Cam also turn out to be quite good at card-counting while working with Choi and Kianna during Micky's capture and as such, the six-person team make a lot of money, despite Williams' robbery of Ben and Micky's chips. The film ends with Ben recounting the tale to the dazzled and dumbfounded scholarship director.

Cast

Production

The filming of 21 began in March 2007. Principal filming of the Las Vegas scenes took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, the Red Rock Casino, and the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Filming also took place at Harvard Medical School, Chinatown, in Cambridge, and the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not allow filming on campus, the MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium and the alumni reception were all shot at Boston University.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes 36% of 172 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 5.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama." Metacritic gave the film an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $24,105,943 in 2,648 theaters in the United States and Canada, averaging $9,103 per venue and ranking first at the box office. The film was also the number one film in its second weekend of release, losing 36% of its audience, grossing $15,337,418, expanding to 2,653 theaters, and averaging $5,781 per venue. The film dropped to third place in its third weekend, losing 32% of its audience, grossing $10,470,173, expanding to 2,736 theaters, and averaging $3,827 per venue. By the fourth weekend it fell to sixth place, losing 47% of its audience, grossing $5,520,362 expanding to 2,903 theaters, and averaging $1,902 per venue.

By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed a total of $157,802,470 worldwide—$81,159,365 in the United States and Canada and $76,643,105 in other territories, against a budget estimated at $35 million.

Casting controversy

A race-based controversy arose over the decision to make the majority of the characters White Americans, even though the main players in the book Bringing Down the House, upon which the film 21 is based, were mainly Asian Americans. However, the real-world MIT blackjack team has not been consistently majority-Asian, and only one of the characters in the book was based on a real person; the rest were composites or fabrications. Ben Kaplan, who is Jewish, stated "While Ben Mezrich has been quoted as saying that Micky Rosa was a composite of myself, J.P. Massar, and John Chang, the fact is there is little, if anything, that resembles either of us except that he started and ran the team and was focused on running the team as a business". The lead role was given to London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.

Jeff Ma, who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell and served as a consultant on the film, was attacked as being a "race traitor" on several blogs for not insisting that his character be Asian-American. In response, Ma said, "I'm not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn't get to cast it." Ma said that the controversy was "overblown" and that the important aspect is that a talented actor would portray him. Ma, who is Chinese American, told USA Today, "I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me." He also says that major Ben Campbell plot elements, such as his father's death and the romance between him and Kate Bosworth's character, were fabrications and not based on anything that happened in Ma's life.

Nick Rogers of The Enterprise wrote, "The real-life students mostly were Asian-Americans, but 21 whitewashes its cast and disappointingly lumps its only Asian-American actors (Aaron Yoo and Liza Lapira) into one-note designations as the team's kleptomaniac and a slot-playing 'loser.'"

The Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) reported on their web site: "After the 'white-washing' issue was raised on Entertainment Weekly's web site, producer Dana Brunetti wrote: "Believe me, I would have LOVED to cast Asians in the lead roles, but the truth is, we didn't have access to any bankable Asian-American actors that we wanted."

Home media

21 was released on DVD, Blu-ray and UMD in Region 1 on July 21, 2008.

Reaction from casinos

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

In pre-production, the producers and the book's original writers predicted that the Las Vegas casinos would be unhelpful, as a film that told viewers the basics of card counting might hurt their bottom line. A featurette included with the DVD completely and accurately describes the "Hi-Lo" system used by the MIT Blackjack Club and by Rosa's team in the film.

The writers of the film were told by the producers that MGM Studios would finance the film, though all "MGM" casinos (including one used by the real MIT Blackjack Team) are owned by MGM Resorts International and are no longer related to MGM Studios. As another DVD featurette reveals, the casinos (including MGM Resorts) saw the film as an attention-getter; people who saw it would be encouraged to go to Vegas and play. The film withheld critical strategy details (such as the conversion from the "running count" to a "true count"), and most beginning card counters underestimate the number and value of the mistakes they make.

Soundtrack

21
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released
  • March 18, 2008 (2008-03-18)
GenreSoundtrack
LabelColumbia
Singles from 21 - Music from the Motion Picture
  1. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Soulwax Remix)"
    Released: February 19, 2008
  2. "Big Ideas"
    Released: August 11, 2008
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic

The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film.

  1. The Rolling Stones—"You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Remixed by Soulwax) (6:07)
  2. MGMT—"Time to Pretend" (Super Clean Version) (4:20)
  3. LCD Soundsystem—"Big Ideas" (5:41)
  4. D. Sardy featuring Liela Moss—"Giant" (3:42)
  5. Amon Tobin—"Always" (3:38)
  6. Peter Bjorn and John—"Young Folks" (4:37)
  7. Shook One —"Soul Position" (4:16)
  8. Get Shakes—"Sister Self Doubt" (4:22)
  9. The Aliens—"I Am The Unknown" (5:27)
  10. Rihanna—"Shut Up and Drive" (3:34)
  11. Knivez Out—"Alright" (3:31)
  12. Domino—"Tropical Moonlight" (3:28)
  13. Unkle—"Hold My Hand" (4:58)
  14. Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian—"L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)" (3:32)
  15. Broadcast—"Tender Buttons" (2:51)
Other tracks
  • Although it is not included in the soundtrack, Moby's "Slippin' Away" (Axwell Vocal Remix) plays in the scene when Ben is passing through airport security.
  • The song "Everybody Get Dangerous" by Weezer was also featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack since it was not yet released. It would later be released on Weezer's 2008 record, The Red Album. It is played on a distant radio when the team is in a poker club.
  • The songs "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick and "Music is Happiness" by The Octopus Project were also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.
  • The song "Magnificent" by Estelle (feat. Kardinal Offishall) was also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.
  • In the promotional trailers, "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" by The Doors was used.
  • During the restaurant scene where the team explains to Ben how they work, "Home" by Great Northern can be heard playing in the background.
  • The song "Again with the Subtitles" by Texas artist Yppah is another uncredited song in the film.
  • The track played as the team makes off at the end of the film is "Rito a Los Angeles" by Giuseppe De Luca, which features part of the main riff of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". This track is also used in Ocean's Twelve, the first sequel to the caper film Ocean's Eleven, about actually robbing casinos in Vegas.
  • My Mathematical Mind by Spoon was featured in the trailers.

See also

References

  1. ^ "21 (2008)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. "21 Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  3. "21 (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
  4. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "21**" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  5. "21 (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  6. "21 (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  7. "Real MIT Blackjack Team - 21 Movie True Story". chasingthefrog.com. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  8. ^ 21 (2008) History vs. Hollywood
  9. Janusonis, Michael. "Movies: 21 star Jim Sturgess got a crash course in card counting". projo.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  10. Justin Berton (2008-03-27). "Hollywood deals Jeff Ma a good hand with '21'". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  11. Berry, Jillian A. (March 14, 2008). "INTERVIEW MIT, Vegas, Hollywood". The Tech. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  12. Bowles, Scott (2008-03-26). "New film '21' counts on the real deal for inspiration". USA Today. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  13. Nick Rogers (2008-03-26). "When the stakes are high, '21' folds". The Enterprise. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  14. "CONTROVERSY STILL SURROUNDS DVD RELEASE OF MOVIE "21"". manaa.org. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  15. "21 (Single-Disc Edition) (2008)". Amazon.com. 22 July 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  16. ^ Brown, Marisa. "21 [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved 2008-04-02.

External links

Films directed by Robert Luketic
Categories: