Robert Luketic took a break from romantic comedies (the genre where he's been most comfortable) to direct 21, an entertaining, while not completely comprehensible, dramatic movie adapted from Ben Mezrich’s book, Bringing Down the House. Loosely based on the true story of a group of MIT students who made a killing counting cards at Vegas casinos, 21 makes playing blackjack look not only exciting, but profitable. Despite a few gaping plot holes, the card action and engaging cast make this film fun for even those of us who’ve had only losing experiences at blackjack tables.
Watching actors sharpen their math skills while learning to count cards could have been the cinematic equivalent of watching paint dry, but Luketic’s done a good job of never letting the technical aspects of card counting, or what’s happening on the table, completely carry the story.
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