“Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.” This is how the movie 21 starts, and from there the audience is taken on a wild ride from Boston to Las Vegas and back again. I’ve heard a lot of bad things about this movie mostly about how unrealistic it is.  None of the things I heard though stopped me from enjoying this movie.  Yes it is based on a true story (told in the book “Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions” by Ben Mezrich), but there’s obviously some Hollywood flair added to this tale.  When I go to the movies, sometimes I look for the realistic elements, but usually it’s the unrealistic elements that make going to the movies enjoyable. 

When the audience first meets Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) he is a nerd who has given up everything for studying in hopes of going to Harvard Medical School.  The only way hope he has of going to Harvard though rests on a full ride scholarship, which many students compete for.  In the meantime he is approached by his math professor (Kevin Spacey, American Beauty) who asks him to join a black jack team of fellow students.  This team is special though because they have the ability to count cards, and not get caught.  At first Ben resists the group, but the money and temptation of the girl of his dreams (Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns) also being on the team finally makes him give in.  What follows is a whirlwind ride of Ben transforming from geek to chic.  The team teaches him their system of how to count cards, and putting it into action in a busy Vegas casino.  How could anything possibly go wrong? Enter Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) as a security guard whose job is being replaced by special face recognition cameras, and he is not too happy about it. 

Directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) I thought 21 was fast paced and enjoyable (I saw it twice in theaters, which is a rarity for me).  Sturgess was wonderful as Ben, and I thought his accent was pretty accurate.  This movie is just another example that he is definitely an actor to keep your eyes on.  Bosworth struggles a bit in her role, but eventually finds the right footing to keep going.  I really enjoyed the supporting characters who added humor to the movie including Josh Gad and Sam Golzari as Ben’s nerdy friends.  Spacey was pretty engaging as the cool professor, turned enemy. 

Now I never said I didn’t find some of the moments in this movie unbelievable, because I do, and this is one of the downsides to the movie.  For example, how can they use the same hand signals at the same casino every weekend and not get caught sooner?  Also, why is Bosworth’s character the only one to ever really wear a disguise until the end? Why is Ben working in a suit shop that is selling ties for $200 but he’s only making $8/hour as an assistant manager? Well…I guess I can believe that one.

Even with the unbelievable elements, I’d still recommend 21.  It’s a fun movie to watch and I’d give it a B.  It might not deserve a whole chicken dinner, but it would at least get a wing from me.

Being a Beatles fan since the age of six, I was quite excited when I heard about Across the Universe. Moulin Rouge is the only musical I actually enjoy watching, and the trailers portrayed this film as something very similar. So naturally, I figured I would love it. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.

The storyline revolves around a young artist from Liverpool named Jude and his best friend’s sister Lucy as they struggle through the influences of love, drugs, and war during 1970s America, all the while expressing the majority of their feelings through classic Beatles songs.

Now obviously we have to take into consideration the fact that this is a musical and therefore can be excused for a being a little cheesy or unrealistic. I mean, who didn’t see the character names of “Jude”, “Lucy”, and “Prudence” coming from a mile away? Sure, I can ignore these predictable pieces as long as they’re brought together in a unique way, but I can’t say that Across the Universe accomplished that.

This is not to say that I think the film was a disaster. In fact, I was intrigued by some areas of the movie, such as the cinematography of Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). Scenes like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” had colors and transitions that were very trippy and amusing to just sit back and absorb. I’m sure the Fab Four of the 1970s would’ve been proud. Also, the acting throughout the movie was very believable. The whole cast gave a solid performance with no weak links. I was glad that no one attempted the flamboyant, exaggerated style of acting that is most notorious in musicals. The lack of it helped the film stay grounded and get taken more seriously.

On the other hand, the area of writing…well…wasn’t so appraisable.

Clearly the Beatles did not create their songs with an intent to combine them into a film, and the plot of Across the Universe only cemented that fact to me. It felt like writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (The Bank Job, Flushed Away) frequently rushed the events and character growth in order for the mood of a scene to feel similar to a certain song at a certain time. There were many references to song titles, names, and occurrences all related to the Beatles, but the storyline had to stretch and veer off a bit in order to accommodate those references. In the end, it felt like a polluted game of connect-the-dots.

I will give the filmmakers credit for taking a stab at the idea though because, in theory, a Beatles musical sounds great. Ultimately, the main problem they had to face was the same problem that movies like Superman and Star Wars faced – the fan base is huge and generations old. There are millions (possibly billions) of fans – young, old, and everything in between – who all have their own opinion about Beatles music. Additionally, there are hundreds of songs to sort through that all have multiple meanings and messages. It’s utterly impossible to satisfy every fan in the world with a single film.

I guess the reason I personally came out so disappointed was because I had been looking for something a little less isolated from The Beatles themselves. The remaining Beatles members, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, as well as Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s widow, were in contact with the director, but the contact was very minimal. I’m positive that if they’d been given even more license to choose the look and feel of Across the Universe, its impact on viewers would’ve been much more impressive.

I’m not trying to discourage people from at least giving it a try, however. I know the film has entertained a good portion of Beatles fans and even introduced some newcomers to the music. Just don’t rent it expecting it to be anything more than one attempt at an interpretation of music that was intended to mean a lot more.