Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) leads a large cast as Ben Campbell. He's an MIT student who is too poor to be smart, struggle to find a way to pay for Harvard Medical School. Of course, Ben is conveniently dashing and witty. Professor Rosa takes notice to Ben's intelligence, which stands out even at MIT, and quickly pursues him for extra-curricular activities.

Ben is introduced to a world of counting cards and weekend trips to Vegas, along with the tempting Jill Taylor (Bosworth) and a trio of other students, and soon enough becomes caught up in the glitz and glamour of the Vegas strip, not to mention earning thousands of dollars on a single Saturday night.

21 is not a standout must see film, but don't let me under sell it. I left my screening wondering to myself if I had gone to see the movie, or gone to see a free movie? I am even now afraid I am full of indecisive remarks and haphazard opinions. It was a fun movie, but I won't buy the DVD. I wanted to see if it would end how I thought it would, but wasn't shocked when it did. That's just the kind of movie it was: holding an ace, but still soft.

The film is an adaptation of the book "Bringing Down the House", which tells the story Jeff Ma and five other real MIT students. Sturgess plays Ma, and does an adequate job. I haven't read the book, but Ma and Sturgess attended my screening and fielded a few questions and it quickly became apparent that the usual creative liberties that any writer must take during adaptation were abundant. Every time someone asked a question about the story Ma admitted it didn't happen. There was no crush, Spacey's character wasn't actually a professor and there are a multitude of other "interpretations" that would only become spoilers.

I will always be understanding of the novel-to-film constraints, but Luketic and his writers seem to take it to a whole new level. They go from "inspired by a true story" to "something that may have happened to someone we know. Probably." No one's acting was distracting, the music wasn't sensational and the worlds were typical Vegas and typical Ivy League. Maybe if I gambled more or found Kate Bosworth more attractive...

Nathan Baker-Lutz is a writer and film critic living in Chicago.