"21" by Robert Luketic: a review

MIT senior math major Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) gets accepted into Harvard but can't afford the costs. Ben needs to find a way in. How did he know that the exciting game of blackjack would make that happen.

Spacey invites Ben to join his blackjack team that travels to Las Vegas each week. Upon his return after some heft winnings he quotes "I'm not the same guy I was back in Boston".

The professor takes the team to Vegas each week and it doesn't take long for young Ben to eat up the lights and sounds of Vegas. Not only that, he finds out he can be a great card counter and chips seem to fall where they may. (No pun intended.)

The movie takes on a some twists and turns including Laurence Fishburn putting on a wonderful performance. The excitment of the game is never more exciting when you hear "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!" after a blackjack is paid out! My favorite movie quote by far is: "I had a 1590 on my SAT, I got a 44 on my MCAT, and I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT. I thought I had my life mapped out, but then I remembered what my non linear equations professor once told me, always account for variable change... I let down my good friends, but as it turns out, they weren't too bad at simple math either. I scored the prettiest girl in school. I got beaten down by an old school Vegas thug who was having trouble accepting his retirement, but I worked out a deal with him that got him a nice pension... And I lied to my mother, but I confessed a lie and well, she still loved me... So my senior year of college I joined this team and I learned this new skill. I went to Vegas 17 times to use it. I made hundreds of thousands of dollars counting cards. And then I had it all stolen from me, twice... How's that for life experience professor? Did I dazzle you? Did I jump off the page?".

You will enjoy 21 and learn many different game rules that you never would have thought of unless you watch the movie.