Reviews: 21 & Under the Same Moon

Breaking Even

To be in complete honesty, this movie doesn't really offer anything that the viewer probably hasn't already conceived by watching many other films about this genre. George Clooney and Stephen Soderbergh have made it their life long goal to see that all the twists and turns of the traditional Las Vegas heist movie be explored. However, that isn't to say that 21 doesn't have it's moments that put a smile on your face. So what's the verdict? Well, read on a little more, and you might find out.

To start, this is "inspired" by a true story. Taken from the book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich, the tale focuses on Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) who is that ordinary guy with the bright brain and gifted abilities but cannot seem to get the things in life. He's at MIT now and has been accepted at Harvard Medical. The only thing standing in his way is that measly little $300,000 needed to attend. His solution to presented to him by his math professor (Kevin Spacey, who also produced) who takes Ben and some other hotshots to Vegas to basically count cards at blackjack. One of those students is played by Kate Bosworth (can anyone say love interest?) and the rest of the crew does their own part.

To be fair, there are many moments in the film where I was very entertained. However, this would be a much better film to recommend had it not be riddled with so many conventional cliches of the genre. For instance, Ben is given the usual day and a half to think over joining the team, he says he's only doing it for the school money, but then he gets greedy, and there is an inevitable double cross. The bulk of these problems comes from the script adapted by Peter Steinfeld and Allan Loeb, who also infuse this story with dialogue that seems below the par of what George Lucas would consider ("I'm not the same guy back in Boston" is a very direct line uttered by Ben; duh!). Also, director Robert Luketic seems more interested in making the game itself look interesting with a lot of slow motion and computer enhanced closeups of the cards, that he forgets that people are the ones actually behind them. Luketic knows how to do stories with people (I recommend his surprisingly pleasant Win a Date with Tad Hamilton), but he has misguided steps here.

At the same time, the cast does its fare share to make up for the flaws. British star Jim Sturgess is already becoming a household name. He recently appeared in this year's The Other Boleyn Girl and made his debut to American audiences last year in the Beatles-inspired Across the Universe. Sturgess is starting to get noticed, and while this is not the type of film that showcases acting talent, he is providing a pretty beefed up resume, and I suspect we'll get one film out of him where he's going to blow us away. Kevin Spacey is having pure fun with this role, as well as Laurence Fishbure, who plays the casino's security manager who catches on to the plans of the students. Both take the usual guest roles of veteran actors in minor supporting roles. They don't mean to steal the spotlight, but they do it accidentally and we could care less. Unfortunately, that's about all the supporting cast brings (Bosworth is a definite bore), with the exception of Josh Gad, one of the geek friends of Ben who brings life in the story when it sometimes needs it.

At the beginning of this review, I mentioned that the film is "inspired" by a true story. The word inspired has gone to the lengths of some controversy because the original Ben Campbell was named Jeffery Ma, an Asian American student. Whether or not you want to call that racist (and there are some puns in the screenplay that suggest the writers knew about this change) is a matter of opinion. To me, it neither adds nor takes away anything from this film. Even with John Cho in the lead, we'd still get the same movie. So what is the verdict? It's a good time waster. You already know the outcome, but if you're interested in some light entertainment with an attractive cast, then I'd say bet your money on it. **1/2 / ****; GRADE: B-.





Beyond Borders

Conservatives are going to love this movie. Why? Well, it certainly isn't going to be because of the film itself. That's the thing they're going to hate. No, conservatives will love this movie because it's going to give them about two episodes worth on their talk shows to talk about how this film is another bolt in the Hollywood liberal machine to turn America soft on the immigration issue. Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs will be so happy to have more to talk about. However, if these two every chose to watch this film, they'd be in for a big surprise.

In a tender, if somewhat sappy and conventional, story, little Carlitos (Adrian Alonso) is still living in Mexico with his ill grandmother as his mother (Kate del Castillo) works in the United States illegally in order to provide a better life for her son. However, Carlitos is getting impatient and worries that he will never see his mother again. So after his grandmother dies, Carlitos begins his long journey to get to Los Angeles and reunite with his mother. His path begins with a botched attempt at being smuggled across the border (with the aid of Ugly Betty's America Ferrera) and he soon ends up with Enrique (Eugenio Derbez), another illegal who doesn't want a kid to tag along with him (but do you think he'll change and warm up to the little guy?).

Again, this is a story that wants to pull on the heartstrings of the audience, and sometimes, admittedly, it works. During one moment when Carlitos is looking at the moon, remembering that his mother told him looking at it will bring his mind closer to hers, and then imagines his mother right beside him, I couldn't help but choke up a bit, especially with Carlo Silotto's music swelling up the background. The screenplay by Liagh Villalobos tries all the tricks it can to evoke these reactions, but you can't help but respond to it.

Adrian Alonso, who has the daunting task of carrying this movie, is phenomenal. Granted, it's an easy story to be phenomenal in, but something really does have to take notice here. Previously seen in The Legend of Zorro, Alonso has much more personality and charm here, and he creates a character that we so much want to root for. At the same time, Kate del Castillo does a nice job in the parallel story of Carlitos' mother Rosario, evoking the same type of angst and emotion that Alonso has dealt with. One complaint would come from Derbez, who does seem to steal the spotlight from his younger costar now and again before giving it back.

One thing to remember is that this is not a political film, even though many will argue that it is. At its bare facts, this is the story of a mother and son trying to reunite, and when it does happen, we all feel so good inside. It's not the best film out there about the subject, but it is certainly one that will stay in your heart for a very long time. ***1/2 / ****; GRADE: B+.