Jim Sturgess takes a gamble as the star of "21"

Sturgess and Bosworth have reasonably good chemistry, though Bosworth isn't given much to do besides be a bombshell. And though Sturgess proves likable and easy to watch, he might have been wiser to not try to match up to Spacey, who outdoes him and the rest of the cast in scene after scene. Casino security thug Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) also has little trouble stealing scenes from those to whom the movie's top billings were given. Though they look capable when they're acting with each other, all of the youngsters look completely over their heads when the adults come out to play.

On the level of gambling escapism, "21" falls well short of something like "Ocean's 11," but it's perhaps on the level of that film's two sequels. It's hard to imagine anyone other than the most easily enamored falling in love with it, but it's equally inconceivable that the average person wouldn't find some pleasure in it. Quick moving and monumentally forgettable, "21" is shallow fun, but fun nonetheless.

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