21 [PG-13]

It is always an accomplishment when a director can take one of the most uninteresting subjects – in this case, card playing – and make it compelling. That’s what the makers of this hyperkinetic casino thriller have done in adapting Ben Mezrich’s book Bringing Down The House, in which the author chronicled the exploits of M.I.T. student (and Worcester native) Jeff Ma. Ma, along with five school friends, took Vegas for millions by counting cards at blackjack, in a story that just got curiouser and curiouser.

Jim Sturgess, the boyish singing star of Julie Taymor’s FabFourPalooza, Across The Universe, plays Ma’s proxy, Ben Campbell, a Boston kid at M.I.T. who is unable afford to accept Harvard’s recent offer to attend. However, when his math teacher, Micky Rosa (producer Kevin Spacey), singles him out for his ability, the scrappy Beantownie find himself learning the art of counting cards – a legal method of beating the house that’s not appreciated by the casinos – and on a plane to Vegas to shuck for the shady prof.

Sturgess holds his own, especially when going toe-to-toe with Oscar winner Spacey. Luketic paces the story well enough, making the build-up to the movie’s series of false endings play well, if not a little predictably. Laurence Fishburne (Bobby) plays the counter-heavy, casino watchdog, Cole Williams, and like Spacey, was probably cursed endlessly by the set dressers for repeatedly chewing the scenery. Kate Bosworth, who played opposite Spacey in Superman Returns, looks good – and God bless her for agreeing to a foot chase through the backstage of a casino while wearing high heels – but her part feels a bit too much like the Prerequisite Love Interest in a story that already seems 15-20 minutes too long.

While it’s not The Hustler (or even The Color of Money), 21 does ultimately take something soporific and seedy and makes it accessible. You won’t see endorsements like, “It didn’t suck” and “My boyfriend made me watch it, and I didn’t hate it” blurbed on the DVD package, but neither will RottenTomatoes.com bear the stink-flag, “Less bearable than watching two illiterates Instant Messaging each other for two hours.” (att leest nott wit owr namez aftur itt.) –Robert Newton