Movie review – “21” (2008) ***

Entertaining account of a famous sting (if that’s the right word) by MIT students of casinos at Vegas. In real life the students were all Asian – here there’s only one (plus one mixed), but that’s Hollywood for you. Jim Sturgess is an engaging lead, believable as both a nerd and someone who could still pull Kate Bosworth (who delivers in another disappointing performance). The tunes are groovy, the depictions of card games interestingly done, the concept a fresh one. But once you start to nitpick, you can’t stop: not enough hedonism, what happens to the guy that Burgess kicks out of the group, couldn’t Spacey have been more evil, wouldn’t Burgess have hid his money somewhere better, why is Sturgess so bad for dumping his loser mates when they are so clearly losers, how come Kate Bosworth gets getting cast in stuff when she’s so bland, etc.