The Magic Newswire - Magic News

Jon Hirschtick may have performed magic to make a few bucks while growing up in Chicago, but he's not known for saying "Pick a card.. any Card." He's more likely to have been heard in Vegas casino's saying "Hit me!" His Vegas adventures as a member of the MIT Blackjack Team were documented in the Ben Mezrich book "Bringing Down The House" which has been made into a film starring Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne opening on March 28th. In an interview published in the Daily News, he says of the book and film, "Generally, they're both very well done, if you don't look at them too closely. They tell our story, and I'm grateful for them telling our story in a very professional way. As for '21,' I think it's a really good movie in terms of the quality of the production and the quality of acting." He is less complimentary of the lack of factual information put forth in the film with regard to the manner in which they put their knowledge to work. "(The filmmakers) wanted to create tension so they invented some things," he says. "I understand they wanted to add dramatic fiction; fine...but characters doing weird things like playing slots, shopping and sleeping with strippers? Then there's drinking and playing - that's a no-no - and the way they lose control and bet without counting - no. It's definitely out of character."

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