As promised, today’s fare is a little lighter than the heavy political discussion we’ve been having (many thanks to all the participants…I like the way the comments engender more thought, deeper response, better ideas).

Still, we all need a break now and then.  That’s what Dan and I had on Friday afternoon when we went to see 21, the new movie by director Robert Luketic, who previously brought us the comedies Legally Blonde and Monster-in-Law.

The plot surrounds a young, poor genius who must find a way to pay for Med School tuition.  He's recruited to a team of hipsters, fellow students all, who work for one of their college professors as card-counting players at Las Vegas casinos.  The game they're playing is, of course, 21.

There's an obligatory love story, lots of glitzy romanticization of Las Vegas, good guys, bad guys, betrayals of self and of others.  In other words, a fairly predictable plot acted by decent actors playing in a popcorn movie.

I always enjoy Kevin Spacey's performances (the professor) and he doesn't disappoint here, despite other reviews.  It's just that his part is thin, as is the whole movie.  That's a problem in a film that clocks in at 123 minutes (which feel more like 150).

As to the rest of the cast, Laurence Fishburne delivers a realistic performance as a casino security chief who is watching his craft fall to facial recognition programs.  Rounding out the cast are the lead character's two buddies (played by Josh Gad and Sam Golzari) who provide a welcome counterpoint to the beautiful people on the 21 squad both in acting ability and in delivering characters more of us can relate to.

Overall, I give the film a B-.  Good for a popcorn flick but it could have been (even should have been) more.

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