A group of M.I.T. students ace classes during the week and count cards in Las Vegas on the weekends. Led by their devious professor, the group takes the casinos for all they can until the casinos catch on. Inspired by the book Bringing Down the House, 21 tells the story how one M.I.T. student got caught up in a card counting group out to break Vegas.

The screenplay writers act as if the book was not exciting enough for a movie. So they added some extra drama, which only bogs down the story and makes the audience wish the movie ended 30 minutes earlier.

Kevin Spacey plays Professor Micky Rosa, the M.I.T. professor who leads the card counting students. He has a knack for playing subversive characters. Spacey has shown us different versions of this devious personality. He has done this in Seven and American Beauty and is fun to watch on screen.

21 gives only a glimpse of the glitter and gluttony that runs Las Vegas. The fabricated drama does not leave room for the twists the book unfolds. These added plot points attempt to make the characters more real but only slow the movie down.

However, even with its flaws, 21 is a better choice than debating if elements in Bringing Down the House were real.