21 and The Grand - Upcoming Gambling Movies

For fans of gambling and movies, there are a couple of upcoming releases that you might want to check out. Here are some details on both:

21

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburn.

Loosely based on Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House, 21 tells the story of six MIT students who used their card counting abilities to clean out Vegas in the 1990s. Spacey plays Mickey Rosa, a math professor who selects the best and brightest to participate in his scheme. Sturgess is the student in need of $300,000 for tuition to Harvard Medical, who also happens to be a genius when it comes to counting cards.

As the team is formed and begins to ply their trade, Fishburn arrives as the muscle for the casinos. As with most Hollywood adaptations, there’s no doubt far more action and danger than existed in the real-life story. Still, fans of blackjack may want to take a look at 21.

21 - CRITICAL RESPONSE

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave it 3 out of 4 stars. He said, “21 drags itself to a climax that puts credulity in splints. So what? In a multiplex of dumb-luck hits, it's a kick to watch Spacey and a gifted young cast use smarts to deal audiences a winning hand.”

Internet movie reviewer Eric D. Snider, meanwhile, called it a “prime example of a movie that isn't bad, per se, just unnecessary, a competently made but wholly unremarkable trifle.”

21 opens in wide release on Friday, March 28th, 2008.

THE GRAND

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, Ray Romano, Dennis Farina, David Cross, Shannon Elizabeth.

Given a limited release in 2007, The Grand is an improvisational comedy in the vein of A Mighty Wind or Best in Show. As an eclectic group of gamblers gather together for a Las Vegas poker tournament, all manner of hijinx ensue. We get to know each player a bit, and we watch as some are eliminated and others advance to the final table.

Too bad they didn‘t stay in the comfort of the homes and play one of Bodog‘s many online poker tournaments.

THE GRAND - CRITICAL RESPONSE

Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine have the film 2 ½ out of 4 stars, saying, “It's a largely hit-and-miss affair. Even when the jokes fall to the floor like errant darts, they never feel desperate or embarrassing.”

According to The Los Angeles Times, “They come up with about 20 minutes of priceless material -- not a bad percentage for this sort of enterprise. But "The Grand" lacks any sort of urgency or inner propulsion; the actors do their little goofs, then hand them off to the next, lending the jest the frolicking but ultimately monotonous quality of a game of tag.”

The movie will open in wide release on April 4th, 2008.

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21 and The Grand - Upcoming Gambling Movies