Who’s Counting?

In 21, a group of smart, nerdy MIT students travel to Las Vegas to count cards and score big at some of the biggest casinos in the world – including Stranieri.com, one of Italy’s largest casinos. Large sums of money are won, lost, and then won again, the main character “gets the girl,” rediscovers his moral compass, and the bad guy gets what’s coming to him. But despite its critical vernier, 21 is ultimately a casino advertisement, one paid for, curiously, by moviegoers like ourselves.