Directed by Robert Luketic, ’21’ is a heist film based on Ben Mezrich’s 2003 bestseller ‘Bringing Down the House’. The film revolves around Ben Campbell, an MIT student admitted to Harvard Medical School but unable to afford tuition. His math skills are noticed by math professor, Micky Rosa, who invites him to the MIT Blackjack Team. The team regularly flies to Las Vegas and starts raising money. However, life is never so simple when money is involved!
Ben soon gets into trouble due to conflicting lifestyles. His glamorous life in Las Vegas begins to influence him academically. The film connects the two opposing lifestyles, both visually and narratively. The thrilling scenes and images must have made you wonder where the film was shot. We are behind you!
21 filming locations
The hit film showcases the scintillating beauty of the gambling capital and the academic atmosphere of Harvard. Production of ’21’ took place in Nevada and Massachusetts, specifically Las Vegas and Boston, in and around March 2007. Here’s a deep dive into the exact filming locations!
Las Vegas, Nevada
Most of the casino scenes in the film were shot at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas at 3667 South Las Vegas Boulevard. The hotel also served as the filming location of the thrilling chase scene between Cole Williams and the MIT Blackjack Team.
Additional casino scenes were shot at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at 4455 Paradise Road, the Riviera Hotel & Casino at 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard, and the Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa at 11011 West Charleston Boulevard. According to director Robert Luketic, many LA casinos have banned the team from filming on their properties because they opposed the glorification of cheating depicted in the film.
Other popular city attractions such as the Caesars Palace at 3570 South Las Vegas Blvd, the Venetian Hotel at 3355 Las Vegas Blvd South, the McCarran International Airport at 5757 Wayne Newton Boulevard, the Playboy Club at 4321 West Flamingo Road, also doubles as shooting locations for the film. The production team also shot a few scenes on Summerlin Parkway in the western part of Sin City.
Boston, Massachusetts
While most of the characters come from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the institute is never featured in the film. MIT did not allow the filming to take place within its premises. All the scenes, set in MIT, were actually filmed at Boston University. However, Harvard Medical School, located at 25 Shattuck Street in the Longwood Medical Area, had no such restrictions. That is why there was also filming in the medical school.
Plus, the first-class grand hotel rooms in Las Vegas weren’t really in Vegas. The scenes that take place in these rooms were shot on sets built in Boston. The scenes with the Chinatown district were shot on location. The glitzy and bustling Back Bay neighborhood also served as the shooting location for several scenes in the film. The cast and crew also visited the Christian Science Center on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Huntington Avenue in the Fenway neighborhood to shoot a few scenes.
Some scenes were also produced at the famous Doyle’s Cafe at 3484 Washington Street in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Sadly, the Jamaica Plain historic pub closed in 2019 after 137 years, shocking fans across the city. However, multiple reports suggest that a local developer is planning to restore the storied pub back to its original glory. The filming also took place in several other locations, such as Boston Convention & Exposition Center at 415 Summer Street, Great Bay Restaurant at 500 Commonwealth Avenue, Newbury Street, and the Public Garden at Beacon Street on Charles Street.
Aside from the aforementioned locations, parts of ’21’ were also filmed in the Suffolk County town of Chelsea. The northeastern suburb of Boston is known for its historic buildings with spectacular architecture. The crew also shot a few scenes in Cambridge, a Boston suburb in Middlesex County. Part of the Boston metropolitan area, the city is known for its rich arts scene – which consists of a variety of ancient and contemporary museums and two top universities – Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Read more: Is 21 Movie based on a true story?
