21
Reception

21 (2008)

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External reception

6.8
5 platform(s) · 7 ratings 358,095 votes
6.9/10 70,239 votes Synced 2026-08-01
6.8/10 282,528 votes Synced 2026-08-20
Audience 6.6/10 184 votes Synced 2026-07-19
Critics 4.8/10 Synced 2026-07-19
Audience 6.6/10 Synced 2026-07-18
Critics 3.6/10 Synced 2026-07-18
6.7/10 5,144 votes Synced 2026-09-13

External reviews

Owen Gleiberman · Entertainment Weekly 75.00/100.00

The fun of 21 is the way that this sharp, hyperaware star in the making, his face as readable as a mood ring, pours us into an adrenalized cocktail of fear, desire, and mental buzz.

synced 2026-07-19
John DeFore · The Hollywood Reporter 70.00/100.00

Escapist moviegoers happy to live out a flashy fantasy get a brief comeuppance and still walk away from the table with a little something in their pockets.

synced 2026-07-19
Maitland McDonagh · TV Guide Magazine 63.00/100.00

A predictable moral tale enacted by blandly pretty young things who bear little resemblance to the average brainiac.

synced 2026-07-19
Olly Richards · Empire 60.00/100.00

The Ocean’s Eleven: The College Years mood makes for a breezy good time, even if there is, like Vegas, precious little substance beneath the glitz.

synced 2026-07-19
James Berardinelli · ReelViews 50.00/100.00

21 doesn't spin a good enough yarn.

synced 2026-07-19
Peter Travers · Rolling Stone 75.00/100.00

21 drags itself to a climax that puts credulity in splints. So what? In a multiplex of dumb-luck hits, it's a kick to watch Spacey and a gifted young cast use smarts to deal audiences a winning hand.

synced 2026-07-19
Steven Rea · Philadelphia Inquirer 75.00/100.00

21 makes for some slick escapist fantasy. Even if, and because, the fantasy has its roots in something real.

synced 2026-07-19
Joe Leydon · Variety 70.00/100.00

Picture shrewdly shuffles together attractive young leads, cagey screen vets and a fantasy-fulfillment scenario in a slickly polished package that should appeal to anyone who's ever dreamed of beating the odds.

synced 2026-07-19
Andrew O'Hehir · Salon 60.00/100.00

Spacey's engaging for a while in one of his patented double-edged, sharky roles.

synced 2026-07-19
Shawn Levy · Portland Oregonian 58.00/100.00

21 isn't insultingly stupid. But there's a gap between what we're told about its characters and what we can see for ourselves, a gap that gets larger and more frustrating as the film goes on.

synced 2026-07-19

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