21 (7/22/2008)

Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.

Directed by Robert Luketic (Monster-in-Law, Legally Blonde)

Starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Josh Gad, Masi Oka, and Sam Golzari

Inspired by the true story of five students who changed the game forever.

Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a young, highly intelligent, student at Boston’s M.I.T. who has just been accepted into Harvard School of Medicine. When he learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 for school, Ben applies for a long shot scholarship. While he waits to hear about the scholarship, he is offered to join a “secret math club” that is lead by his unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey). There are four other students: Jill, Choi, Kianna, and Fisher, who are being trained by Professor Rosa in the skill of card counting while playing blackjack. Needing to make money, Ben joins his new friends on secret weekend trips to Las Vegas where they make hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ben only wants to make enough money for the tuition to Harvard and then back out. But as predicted, he becomes corrupted by greed and arrogance which threatens to undo everything the students have done.

Todd’s Word: guessing you have seen this one before. Maybe it wasn’t about blackjack, but the story is all too familiar. Our main character Ben, although he is innocent, gets sucked into to some pretty shady behavior. And while he is reluctant at first, his ability soon goes to his head, leading to conflict between him and his mentor. Throw in a love interest with a girl way out of his league while abandoning his true friends and end with a very predictable “redemption” story…now does it sound familiar?

Jonathan’s Word: too familiar. (Risky Business) predicted every element… including the cheesy PG-13 proverbial sex scene.

This film was almost a “Coaster” in my mind. But that score is probably reserved for bad film making over all. This film was done well and the acting was good. I just hated the script, therefore… I hated the story. That kind of botches the whole thing.

Todd’s Word: I agree. The reason this movie is not a “Skip It” or “Coaster” in my mind is because of the cast. Jim Sturgess, as the lead, is likable and proves he can be a leading man while Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne are both solid. Director Robert Luketic keeps the film moving at a decent pace and made blackjack exciting. I didn’t know a whole lot about the game before I saw this, and I definitely didn’t know much about counting cards. They did a really good job at explaining both without boring people with too many details.

Although it didn’t wow me, it was fairly entertaining, so if you have a free rental or the movie you really wanted is all out, pick up 21.

Jonathan’s Word: I can’t go that far. I think the film was pure crap. And it’s typical of the PG-13 garbage available for our kids to see today. The theme of this film is, so what, maybe there are some consequences… but it’s still worth it to live for the moment!

Not only that… the film was an insult to my intelligence. An M.I.T. student who is probably the most brilliant in his class is too stupid to pay $45 for a safety deposit box? (don’t ask) Come on! I hate it when I’m smarter than the characters in the film I’m watching.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Todd’s Word: The film preaches lying, gambling, cheating, and greed. It includes a should-have-been-rated-R sex scene and a weak redemption story. My vote: no kids.

Jonathan’s Word: My biggest concern about this film is the themes that I shared above: Live for the moment. Screw the consequences (and the girl). There are strip bar scenes (with no “actual” nudity… but what do you call a shirtless girl in a thong and nipple tassles dancing in the background?), a sex scene… just take our word for it, don’t let your kids see this.

Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.

Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):

1. What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
2. How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
3. How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?