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Movie based on true story
Friday August 1 2008 By Peter Muhvic, REWIND 21
*** out of ****

The movie, 21, based on a true story, is a briskly paced two hours of energetic rags-to-riches fun that tries for a bit too much down the stretch, but still remains a nice gambling romp.
Ben, a super smart but hurt for money MIT student, needs some serious coin after getting accepted into Harvard.
An offer from a group of other students and a ballsy teacher to count cards in Vegas presents itself and proves too tempting for Ben not to try.
But it’s not long after Ben starts pulling in serious cash that his personal life starts spinning out of control.
There’s nothing that 21 does especially well beyond doing everything decently. Every element of 21 is solid, so while the film won’t blow you away, it also doesn’t leave a lot to nitpick about.
The casting, from Jim Sturgess, who plays Ben with genuineness and the right amount of nervous comedy, to Kevin Spacey, as the fast-talking teacher spearheading the scheme, to Laurence Fishburne, as the old-school casino security chief on to something, is dead on.
And, if the characters aren’t always as fleshed out as you’d like, the actors at least make them enjoyable.
And even some gambles near the end of the film, where the story gets a bit too cute for its own good, come off better than they should thanks to the enthusiasm put into them. 21 is the kind of film where there are holes in the plot, but you’re not very interested in investigating them.
The movie offers up a winning hand of light expendable entertainment.

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