Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

The Good:
Story: It's truly inspirational and moving.
Appeal: Its ability to draw so many emotions keeps it fresh and interesting.
Camerawork: Danny Boyle never misses an opportunity to skew how he views the world from a lense.
Characters: You find yourself rooting for them, especially Jamal.
Music: AR Raman avoids sappy orchestra music and brings in a touch of Indian-infused techno with the lyrical stylings of M.I.A.

The Bad:
It ended.

The Plot: Jamal Malik is a young man born in the slums of Bombay, India, destined to live out the rest of his life in poverty. That is until he wins millions on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. However the police are suspicious of Jamal's ability to know all the answers. What transpires is the life story of a poverty stricken boy who's unique life gives him all the answers he needs to know to not just win the money, but the love of his life.

Though I hate to break down and use the phrase "the little movie that could", I can't help the fact that this movie is building up steam with audiences everywhere, and it rightfully should. Slumdog Millionaire is one of those rare films that sticks with you well after watching it. After my viewing, I subsequently purchased some of its score off Itunes, listened to Paper Planes by M.I.A. (one of my favorite songs anyway) about ten times, watched the trailer repeatedly on Youtube and started my own personal PR campaign for the flick, which explains why I'm using this film as my first review.

What Danny Boyle and writer Simon Beaufoy have done is create a film that inspires. It makes you feel good, a "feel good" movie if you will. Boyle didn't white-wash the movie as it happened with "21", where the real-life Asian card counters were replaced by pretty white people. He stuck with Indian characters in India where the true story came from. One added benefit in using foreign actors that you have never heard of is that it creates a sense of compassion for them, you don't have the cloudiness of previous roles interrupting your ability to root for them.

One prime example I have of this is having watched Righteous Kill and Spy Kids in the period of a few days, both of which feature Carla Gugino. In Righteous Kill Gugino is a forensic detective who gets off on practically being raped and in Spy Kids, shes a wholesome mother who happens to be a spy. Now how can I appreciate Gugino as a cool superspy mother of two when I can't break my thoughts of her getting rammed in the ass by Robert De Niro? Get my point?

Hollywood and American filmmakers needs to embrace new actors, or at least lesser known actors if they want some degree of compassion and interest from their audiences.

Back to the movie, what really works is its seamless blending of Boyle-esqe camerawork, great music, and structure. One thing that had me concerned with the film was that we were going to have to practically sit through an episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. However the fact that he is on the show really has no relevance to the main plot. It's really the point of transition for Jamal's life story. Each question highlights a part of Jamal's life be it tragic, humorous, or uplifting. The fact that he is on a game show for money and the fact that he wins it is honestly of no real importance. It's all about the love a good woman.

Dev Patel and Freida Pinto have a great chemistry. the likes of Leo and Kate in Titanic (yes I just name-dropped Titanic). Their love seems genuine and its stays that way all through their childhood as different actors portray Jamal and Latika through different stages of their lives.

As said the camerawork is a treat to watch, but what else would you expect from Danny Boyle. In addition, you can always expect an intriguing score from a Boyle film and AR Raman delivers with fast-paced electronic tracks with an infusion of Indian sound that make scenes that much more exciting. The inclusion of M.I.A. is also welcome since I will never get sick of Paper Planes, which is also featured in the movie.

Wrapping up, I can only say that I wish I would have had the opportunity to see Slumdog Millionaire last year so it could be at the top of my list of films for 2008, but nonetheless it is a pleasure to watch.

Grade: A