Hollywood is such a gamble these days.

Just look at the new blackjack thriller “21.” You may be familiar with the true story on which it’s based: In the 1990s, a cadre of math wizards from MIT (college kids like me, except, you know, smart) devised a successful system of card counting they used to bank millions during flashy weekends in Las Vegas. Though eventually caught and banned from many gambling establishments, their story became the stuff of legend and inspired the best-selling book “Bringing Down the House.”

Little surprise that Hollywood sidled up to the table and anted in for their own version of the tale. Unfortunately for the real-life players, “21″ is not the blackjack they deserved, but rather the inverse, a deadly “12″ just begging to bust (for you non-players, that means really bad.)

Puppy-eyed Jim Sturgess of “Across the Universe” fame plays Ben Campbell, a “good with numbers” MIT senior who needs a prestigious scholarship to attend pricey medical school at Harvard. Even with his new promotion at a men’s clothing store — $8.00 an hour as assistant manager — Ben can’t figure out how he’ll come up with the $300,000 needed for Harvard.

“I always thought there was more to life than money,” he announces out loud, a not-so-subtle hint at his upcoming character crisis.