Brian Aldrich: July 2008

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21 (2008) - Allan Loeb

August 21, 2006

Screenplay by Allan Loeb

Synopsis by Brian Aldrich

Boston working class math genius KEVIN LEWIS has put himself through M.I.T. by working as a clerk at Brooks Brothers. He aspires to attend Harvard Med School, but lacks the money. He and his friends MILES and TAY are trying to win a competition with their design for a computer chip that uses the GPS system to auto-drive a car. The competition prize money isn’t enough to cover Harvard, but the prestige may enable him to win the Thibault Award that would give him a full scholarship. To keep his MOTHER from working herself to death like his FATHER did, Kevin lies to her, telling her he has already won the scholarship. Meanwhile, Kevin has a huge crush on JILL TAYLOR, a fellow genius with beauty to match her brains. Professor MICKY ROSA invites Kevin to join his Blackjack Team that includes fellow students ANDRE MARTINEZ, KIANNA, JASON FISHER, and Jill. At first, Kevin is reluctant to get involved with gambling, but his money pressure, his goals, and his desire to flee from his abusive boss WARREN lead him to join the team.

Coach Micky teaches and trains Kevin in the art of card counting and the team strategies necessary to outwit the casinos without exposing himself. Micky doesn’t play anymore as he has already been identified by the casino’s security departments and he has a row of missing teeth to show for it. The team flies to Vegas and begins to rake in the money. Kevin proves to be a natural and Micky promotes him to team leader. At the end of the weekend, Kevin returns home with a bundle of money he hides in his dorm room’s air vent. Kevin’s friends are shocked to witness his developing friendship with Jill. While they have chemistry together, Jill wants to keep their relationship professional. Meanwhile, Kevin’s play has caught the eye of security chief VINCENT COLE, an old school Vegas veteran (he bashed out Micky’s teeth) who is quickly being pushed towards early retirement due to the casinos replacing him with computer programs. He’d like to catch Kevin before his career ends. As the weekends pass, Kevin continues to return with bundles of money. He begins to enjoy the Vegas lifestyle and the luxurious perks. He happily quits his clerk job and tells off his boss. Unfortunately, his Blackjack career has led him to ignore his responsibilities to Miles and Tay. They drop him from their team. In Vegas, jealous Fisher makes a scene in the casino with Kevin, nearly exposing them all to security. After Micky humiliates him, Kevin bands with the others to continue their operations without Micky. The team continues to rake in money. Kevin and Jill finally have sex. Then, the team realizes Micky has sent in another team to block their play. They switch to different casinos, but Micky calls in an anonymous tip to Cole. Cole and his thugs grab Kevin and give him a beating. Kevin announces he’s quitting the team, but when he returns home he finds his cache of money has been stolen. He confronts Micky who tries to convince him that Jill stole the money. Desperate for easy money, Kevin agrees to work for Micky one more time on the condition Micky plays. Wearing disguises, Kevin and Micky win an enormous amount of money. Cole shows up to surprise Micky. As the team members scatter to escape, Micky and Kianna try to slip away with all the money, but Kevin and Jill outwit them. Cole catches Micky. Apparently, Cole and Kevin made a deal. Cole takes Kevin’s winnings for his own retirement. Kevin uses the story of his gambling adventures to win the scholarship and go to Harvard.

Summary Criticism: A well-crafted script with a fast paced, compelling plot and sympathetic characters to match - the Blackjack lessons alone were intriguing.

21 (2008) - imdb

21 (2008) - wiki