Review of 21

21 was the Opening Night Film for SXSW 2008. It follows the story of a group of MIT students who learn to count cards during Black Jack games so they can win lots of money in Las Vegas. The film was directed by Robert Luketic and stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne.
I enjoyed this film. It was a good festival film, meaning the movie was focused on the story much more than the special effects that are staples of most blockbusters these days. The story in 21 was good, not outstanding or ground-breaking or controversial, but good, and well-within the boundaries of standard Hollywood fare. This movie had no surprises with respect to the story or plot. The only surprise for me was the outstanding performance by the lead actor Jim Sturgess who portrayed the story's hero Ben. The character of Ben was so likeable, and he looked so good on screen. The character made a transition from vulnerable nerd to confident casino stud, and he was so likeable the whole time. He held his own in his scenes with Spacey and Fishburne. This actor is going to be a big star.
On the other hand, the Kate Bosworth character was ridiculously underdeveloped. I heard a comment from another moviegoer calling her "window dressing." I wish she had either better character development or had been left out of the movie altogether.
Josh Gad turned in a noteable performance as Ben's best friend Miles. He did not have many scenes, but he was quite memorable. He is definitely another young actor for us to keep our eyes on.
After the film, the audience was entertained with a Q & A session with Ben Mezrich (author of the book Bringing Down the House on which the movie was based), Jeff Ma (the real-life MIT student on which the book was based), and Jim Sturgess (the lead actor of the film). Many of the questions were directed to Jeff Ma and his experiences in Vegas. Apparently, the hardest aspect of his experiences was trying to get hundreds of thousands of dollars on the plane back to Boston.