Some movies deal with real-life situations that are meant to intrigue and fascinate. Smaller stories, or stories that have never had the type of spotlight that Hollywood thought they deserved. But sometimes (wait for it) Hollywood sensationalizes or changes the plot to fit their narrative.
One of these movies was the 2008 movie21—a film based on a book based on a sensational story. However, the film made some poor casting choices, and since its release, it has garnered more attention for its faults than for its triumphs.
21 and Bringing Down the House
The film21was based on a book by Ben Mezrich calledBringing Down the House. It tells the (semi) true story of an MIT student named Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) who joins the blackjack team led by Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey). The team has such a high level of intelligence and skill that they begin makingregular trips to Las Vegas. In Vegas, they use their abilities at card counting to bilk the casinos out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Problems arise when they start getting noticed, and their grades start declining due to spending so much time on this extracurricular activity. There is infighting, double-crosses, and people getting their asses handed to them by casino security. The film is fun but would not be terribly memorable if not for the sideshow that followed.
Hollywood Whitewashing and Twisted Reality
One of the first things that came up following the film’s premiere was the use of white actors to portray Asian-American parts. In the bookBringing Down the House, many of the main student characters from MIT were of Asian descent, and the film instead decided tocast Kate Bosworth, Michael Pitts, and Josh Gad in three main roles. The film did have oneAsian-American actor, Aaron Yoo(The Tomorrow People). It also had Jeff Ma, the real person on which the main character, Ben Campbell, was based.
Critics were quick to point out this discrepancy, with some calling it a “farce” due to its lack of representation when the real story had so many Asian-American participants. The studios decided not to admit their mistakes and instead doubled down (no pun intended). In fact, Dana Brunetti, a producer at Columbia Pictures, had something to say about the controversy.
“Believe me, I would have LOVED to cast Asians in the lead roles, but the truth is, we didn’t have access to any bankable Asian-American actors that we wanted.”
This had the effect of making people, especially those in the Asian-American community, upset. It was pointed out that this type of whitewashing had been done for decades and that plenty of actors within the community could have used the work. People who were very much ready to handle any film offered to them. This trend has, unfortunately, continued to this day. But that was not the only piece the studios used in their defense.
Columbia Pictures also pointed out that the bookBringing Down the Housewas itself a work of “partial fiction.” Though it was publicized as fact, there were quite a number of discrepancies between what actually happened to the MIT team and what was written. These discrepancies were brought to the attention of the producers, who then used it to show they had no obligation to cast Asian-American actors since the book was a collection of composites.
When Jeff Ma, who was a consultant on the film, was asked about his thoughts, he made an interesting point.
“I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me.”
This led to an even broader discussion on who makes the decisions, how the industry operates, andwhat racism looks liketo those on the outside versus the inside.
Legacy of the Film
In the years since its release, the film has occasionally blipped on the radar for those who applaud it as fun and fast-paced or pointed to as a prime example of race-based casting.
21has also come under fire forcasting Kevin Spacey, an actor recently acquitted of multiple sexual assault charges. These recent acquittals come after years of Spacey losing work due to these charges. While his trial was going on, he lost a number of projects and was specifically killed off from the showHouse of Cards,where he was the star.
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During this time, Spacey’s films were shunned by a number of groups in an effort to remove him from public consciousness.21, though not his most well-known film, was still a part of this attempt. However, with Spacey back in the news for the acquittals, the film has begun trending. Spacey’s reemergence into the public eye has people once again seeking out the actor’s work.Netflix has been quite happyto oblige those with the right search terms.
In the end,21’s legacy is one of varied insults. It will live on simply for the fact that it is a footnote in the ongoing fight for accurate representation in film, regardless of what studios or executives have to say. The excuses will keep coming, but with films like21, it seems obvious where people’s anger stems from.
