Profile
Photos
Comments
Every year there are one or two movies that become 'Critic's
Darlings"--sometimes they get it right like Juno or My Big Fat Greek Wedding,
sometimes they get it wrong like "Adaptation" or that recent one with Bill
Murray that took place in Japan--this year it is Slumdog Millionaire.
I had heard it was a sweet, optimistic love story so I was not prepared for
the first 45-60 minutes of violence, abuse, child molestation, a woman clubbed
to death, electric shock, etc. It was all quite jarring and I begun to question
what I was doing watching this movie and then the director, Danny Boyle, and
writer, Simon Beaufoy started the manipulation of the heart strings and did it
very successfully. You want the happy ending, you want him to win the "So You
Want To Be A Millionaire" game, you want the lovers to live happily ever after,
you want the bad guys to pay and so you hold you breath, you cheer, you cry, you
feel good leaving the theatre--I felt the latter but didn't cheer or cry.
The male lead, Dev Patel, as the older Jamal, reminds me of Adrian Brody, in
that he is fairly bland but he does get the job done. The female lead, Freida
Pinto, as the older Latika, is beautiful and a very good actress while Madhur
Mittal, as the older Salim (and especially in the last 15 minutes of the film is
mesmerizing and hot!
The film takes place in Mumbai, where the recent terriorist attack took
place, and shows the slums that 'equal' to those in Rio which are infamous and
takes you to teh Taj Mahal.
The screenplay goes backwards and forwards in time and flows without
confusion between three different times (and ages) of Jamal, Salim and Latika's
life.
A off putting as some of the scenes are in the beginning, such as a child
being blinded with use of a teaspoon so they can make more money begging, by the
last half hour, at least, you will get caught up in the lover's story and
manipulated by the director and writer willingly!
I do recommend the film but really didn't see it winning any awards though it
is being touted by the critic's as an award winner.
AJ