Andrew McMurtry21 7/10
May 18th 2008 15:44
Well, I now have a new domain called "screen best", which of course is due to me misreading the instructions and thus I chose this tre uncool title to now signify my reviews. Boo. But oh well. Once again I am up late in the evening, the only time nowadays for me to be at my pretentious uni student film buff best.
But none of you care about how I ended up with this stupid webpage, you want to know about the film 21, starring Mr smirky Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey.
I happened to catch 21 a week before it opened in Oz, and before I'd seen the flashy "inspired by the amazing true story!" ads on TV. So I was expecting crap. If I had seen the ads, I would have expected less. Which may be why I found it quite enjoyable. It's the biggest mistake people make when watching films nowadays - having standards.
So what happens in the film? Do you even have to ask? Ben Campbell (Sturgess) is a geek in MIT who dreams of attending Harvard Medical School, but his working class funds pull him down. He goes for a prestigious scholarship, but then his geekiness and lack of an interesting life story pull him down. So he either has to raise $300 000 or change his life into something "dazzling" by the end of the year, or his dream is gone. Then suddenly like a cheesy script with predictable twists, an opportunity comes along which has the potential to fulfill both. Ben's Math Professor Micky Rosa (Spacey) invites him to join a secret group of Math geniuses who count cards in blackjack at Las Vegas casinos for funsies. And ooh, his lovely crush Jill (Bosworth) is in this group. Cha-ching.
I'm not going to bother telling you what happens next. 21 is totally routine, with the zero to hero to zero to hero again plot, the guy getting the girl subplot, the highs and lows of hedonism subplot, the big bad guys chasing after the good guy subplot. But, that isn't really a bad thing. 21 is one of those films where you feel relieved about the predictability and simple characterisation. It doesn't try to be something different, something edgy and fresh but instead is simply good natured and lightly entertaining. We had quite a few laughs, too. I'm going to assume it's because Robert Luketic is the director, the Aussie responsible for Legally Blonde and Monster In Law. I liked both those films because although they had extremely cheesy scripts which could have been flops in anyone else's hands, Luketic made them charming in the most simple sense, and that's because he never let the films take the romantic comedy formula seriously. It's silly fun with the occasional wit.
Luketic does a commendable transition from romantic comedy to... well, whatever 21 wants to classify itself. Drama? Thriller? Comedy-Drama-Thriller? Whatever. There's good use of colour (contrasting Ben's MIT life with the flashy Las Vegas world), the usual poppy soundtrack, good pacing and... yes, even the montage. There were times when I rolled my eyes, but those moments didn't ruin the entire film for me. It's exactly what you'd expect, and although you sorta wish it would rise above the cliches, you can't really blame it when it doesn't.
I don't really understand why Jim Sturgess is Ben Campbell. I always find it distracting when a young up and coming British actor plays an American lead, especially when they are also narrating. But I suppose he did alright. And I guess I can't say much about the casting of Kate Bosworth. She's obviously a favourite of Luketic's and Spacey's. So who cares if she's completely dull and forgettable?
Anyway, bottom line, it's a watchable film. It ain't Casino, or even Casino Royale, but it's fun and has good looking people throwing money around. A lot of money.
But none of you care about how I ended up with this stupid webpage, you want to know about the film 21, starring Mr smirky Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey.
I happened to catch 21 a week before it opened in Oz, and before I'd seen the flashy "inspired by the amazing true story!" ads on TV. So I was expecting crap. If I had seen the ads, I would have expected less. Which may be why I found it quite enjoyable. It's the biggest mistake people make when watching films nowadays - having standards.
So what happens in the film? Do you even have to ask? Ben Campbell (Sturgess) is a geek in MIT who dreams of attending Harvard Medical School, but his working class funds pull him down. He goes for a prestigious scholarship, but then his geekiness and lack of an interesting life story pull him down. So he either has to raise $300 000 or change his life into something "dazzling" by the end of the year, or his dream is gone. Then suddenly like a cheesy script with predictable twists, an opportunity comes along which has the potential to fulfill both. Ben's Math Professor Micky Rosa (Spacey) invites him to join a secret group of Math geniuses who count cards in blackjack at Las Vegas casinos for funsies. And ooh, his lovely crush Jill (Bosworth) is in this group. Cha-ching.
I'm not going to bother telling you what happens next. 21 is totally routine, with the zero to hero to zero to hero again plot, the guy getting the girl subplot, the highs and lows of hedonism subplot, the big bad guys chasing after the good guy subplot. But, that isn't really a bad thing. 21 is one of those films where you feel relieved about the predictability and simple characterisation. It doesn't try to be something different, something edgy and fresh but instead is simply good natured and lightly entertaining. We had quite a few laughs, too. I'm going to assume it's because Robert Luketic is the director, the Aussie responsible for Legally Blonde and Monster In Law. I liked both those films because although they had extremely cheesy scripts which could have been flops in anyone else's hands, Luketic made them charming in the most simple sense, and that's because he never let the films take the romantic comedy formula seriously. It's silly fun with the occasional wit.
Luketic does a commendable transition from romantic comedy to... well, whatever 21 wants to classify itself. Drama? Thriller? Comedy-Drama-Thriller? Whatever. There's good use of colour (contrasting Ben's MIT life with the flashy Las Vegas world), the usual poppy soundtrack, good pacing and... yes, even the montage. There were times when I rolled my eyes, but those moments didn't ruin the entire film for me. It's exactly what you'd expect, and although you sorta wish it would rise above the cliches, you can't really blame it when it doesn't.
I don't really understand why Jim Sturgess is Ben Campbell. I always find it distracting when a young up and coming British actor plays an American lead, especially when they are also narrating. But I suppose he did alright. And I guess I can't say much about the casting of Kate Bosworth. She's obviously a favourite of Luketic's and Spacey's. So who cares if she's completely dull and forgettable?
Anyway, bottom line, it's a watchable film. It ain't Casino, or even Casino Royale, but it's fun and has good looking people throwing money around. A lot of money.
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