Each week, I will look at a movie that is currently in theaters or available to stream and give some reasons why people should watch it. This isn’t necessarily a film critique, rather, an overview of what I think is enjoyable about the film, and why it’s worth seeing. This week we’ll look back to 2008’s 21, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey.
Maybe the most important thing to remember when stepping foot into a casino is the house always wins. However, based on a true story, 21 finds a way to pull a fast one over the casinos, if only briefly. Some of the coolest stories turn out to be true stories and 21 fits that bill. Six MIT students become experts in card counting and under the leadership of Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) hit the casinos to make millions. Unlike most movies I talk about, my plea to watch the movie is not focused on the acting or the way things were done. Rather, this is just about the story. There’s a mix of a actors and actresses you’re familiar with versus some you aren’t and I think the point there is to make this group not really stand out, just like a bunch of hot shot college students wouldn’t figure to be the ones about to heist the casinos. There’s nothing spectacular about how the movie was made or defines a genre, this is just simply an entertaining true story about a group of students that puled the wool over the eyes of the mighty Las Vegas casinos.
Who doesn’t love a good underdog story?
21 is available to be streamed on Hulu.
