21

The phrase, “based on a true story” has become an easy selling point for Hollywood movies. At first, it may sound like an exciting way of saying the filmmakers worked tirelessly to serve you a first hand look at how a famous event in history truly played out. On the other hand, “based on a true story” could mean nothing but the fact that the premise of the story is still intact, and the events, names, places, and outcomes were all changed in order to make a better film. In reality, it’s rare that most great true stories go on to be retold word-for-word in a Hollywood blockbuster. “21” is the latest film that, instead of being the retelling of a true story, is simply just a blockbuster film that was inspired by a true story.

The book is called “Bringing Down the House.” The event the book is based on happened when a group of MIT students used their impressive card counting skills to beat the system of Blackjack at casinos in Las Vegas. “21” is the film that tells the story of Ben Campbell. In the book his name is Kevin Lewis, but in real life he’s known as Jeff Ma. This is only the first of many things being lost in translation.

Instead of coming from a family with the means of sending their children to college, the story of Jeff Ma is twisted into the story of Ben Campbell, who is searching for a way to pay for college. Ben, played by Jim Sturgess, finds his luck when an egocentric professor (Kevin Spacey) offers him the opportunity to learn the strategies of counting cards. On weekends, the ingenious plan had Ben and a team of students flying to Vegas to rake in the money. What they didn’t plan on was getting compromised.

For a film that was inspired by a true story, it does a lot in making an audience wonder if the events depicted on screen actually happened in real life. When casino security boss (Laurence Fishburne) starts throwing punches with a ring-laden fist because of the legal act of card counting, the film’s melodramatic elements start working against the aim. When you consider “21” as a film inspired by a true story, many elements become laughable. Instead, consider it within the ranks of a fictional story like “Oceans 11.” As a story exploring the possibilities of elaborate con artists, “21” is a definite crowd-pleaser.

21

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

Runtime: 123 min.

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, and Kevin Spacey

Directed by Robert Luketic