Synopsis:
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a shy,
brilliant M.I.T. student who, needing to pay school tuition - finds the answers
in the cards. He is recruited to join a group of the school's most gifted
students who head to Vegas every weekend armed with fake identities and the
know-how to turn the odds at blackjack in their favor. With unorthodox
math professor and stats genius Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) leading the way,
they've cracked the code. By counting and employing an intricate system of
signals, the team can beat casinos big time. Seduced by the money, the
Vegas lifestyle, and his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth),
Ben begins to push the limits. Though counting cards isn't illegal, the
stakes are high and the challenge becomes not only keeping the numbers straight,
but staying one step ahead of the casinos' menacing enforcer: Cole Williams
(Laurence Fishburne).
Brian's Rating: B+ : The movie is based on a book called "Bringing Down the House" which is
based on a true story of 5 MIT students, guided by a corrupt MIT professor, who
used an elaborate card counting system to take Vegas for millions. The story is
fascinating to watch unfold and it is almost incredible that they "mostly" got
away with it. Everybody likes to think they can make money off Vegas, but these
people actually did. As gambling movies go, it wasn't as cool as "Rounders",
but then again, this was a true story, so they were bound by the limits of
reality. Kevin Spacey is awesome in just about every movie he touches, and this
is no exception. So who wants to practice counting with me? I think we could
do this ;)
The
Freak's Rating: C : 21 has many flaws that keep it from being
recommendable. On a cool factor, it succeeds to show a protagonist (poorly
cast as he is) who goes from zero to hero with a plane ride from Boston to Las
Vegas. Tossing in Kate Bosworth and attempting to make the biggest special
effect in the film the one that makes the audience believe she is in her early
20s, is a failure, as Bosworth is well beyond those years and looks it thanks to
the casting choices of fellow class members. Kevin Spacey does a good job
as the professor, but everyone else is frighteningly 2 dimensional here.
The overdramatic twists and turns that can be seen coming from miles away and
therefore I can't recommend it. I would, however, encourage getting the
book. The real guys were on Howard Stern during the press junket for this
film and their story is very interesting (and not as "Hollywood-ized").
Chris's
Rating: B : I happened to see this movie on the way back from post-prom, and
although it kept me entertained on the ride back, quite frankly, anything could
have. I had heard of the movie and the fact that it was based on a book, and
discussion during opening minutes revealed that the book (and, subsequently) the
movie contained events that never happened. The plot line was followable,
although there was some stuff that I didn't exactly think fit. Also, it might
have been better had I been able to hear the dialogue, but I think I read the
lips right anyway.
Overall, I think the film had a decent--but non-believable--plot line, and it
certainly filled up the time on the trip back. The acting was good at times and
OK at others, and, for a movie about smart people, I would have expected
(stereotypically) to have seen more foreign people.
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