So, I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire last night in the comfort of my home. I tried to forget everything I'd heard...all the build up, the expectations. Just go along for the ride! Oh, and remember, it's a feel good movie so you know the end will be uplifting!
Wait...what!? I..I..I can't say too much without a spoiler here, but...are we forgetting what happens in the bathtub?!
So, although the curtain call was fantastic! And, yes, fun and uplifting even! The film's real ending was more like...bittersweet.
And that's another thing. Remind me when I make my movie, that a good last 15 minutes, coupled with a great "curtain call" may win me an Oscar!
Okay, so I liked the movie. I did. Even though there were some places were I was looking at my Blackberry, and it was rather predictable.
Wait...what!? I..I..I can't say too much without a spoiler here, but...are we forgetting what happens in the bathtub?!
So, although the curtain call was fantastic! And, yes, fun and uplifting even! The film's real ending was more like...bittersweet.
And that's another thing. Remind me when I make my movie, that a good last 15 minutes, coupled with a great "curtain call" may win me an Oscar!
Okay, so I liked the movie. I did. Even though there were some places were I was looking at my Blackberry, and it was rather predictable.
The story follows Jamal through his childhood in the slums of Bombay...now Mumbai. This is done in flashback as Jamal is being interrogated by the wonderful Irrfan Kahn. As a contestant on India's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Jamal has gotten to the million dollar question. Only, the evil host doesn't believe he has done so without cheating, so Jamal is arrested. On the eve of the show where he will be presented the million dollar question...he must explain how he, a Slumdog, was able to answer all the questions correctly. The flashbacks of his life show us how.
The beginning of the film is a bit off. The torture stuff didn't really work for me. Why would he allow himself to be tortured for what...an hour? A half hour? And then when he decides to tell his big secret it's...I knew the answers. Well, why didn't you say so before? Damn man!
The movie is best when exploring the underworld with Jamal and his brother Salim. There is the inevitable romance with a childhood friend, Latika...a beautiful Indian model named Freida Pinto, who's accent sounded very upperclass. I couldn't help but wonder how she came by that voice growing up in the slums and brothels of Mumbai. But, I'll let that go too. There are three actors apiece for each of the lead roles...they are all well cast, and look believably like one another. I appreciated that I could still recognize everyone as they "grew up".
The movie is a fairy tale. And I like the idea of destiny. That destiny is written. I do think that believing in destiny probably makes it so. It's all about choices, remember, and if you are making your choices with no doubt or fear...well, that's pretty powerful.
The movie is a fairy tale. And I like the idea of destiny. That destiny is written. I do think that believing in destiny probably makes it so. It's all about choices, remember, and if you are making your choices with no doubt or fear...well, that's pretty powerful.
Of course we pretty much know how it's going to end. Of course we know what the last question is going to be 5 minutes into the movie. ( I knew the answer when they asked it. My husband didn't...so, he was in a bit of suspense.) I don't think it is better then Rachel Getting Married. I don't think it's better then The Wrestler. I don't think I'll be talking about it three days later. Maybe seeing it in a theatre full of people adds to the delight that people are feeling. But honestly, I still think it's that curtain call!
It was 3 out of 5 stars for me.
4 comments:
i was especially pleased with it... the contrasts are my favorite part
I loved this film, but your write-up is great.
Scenes of poverty and squalour may appear romantic to Westerners and to our snooty elite but for ordinary Indians they are nothing new. They are an everyday reality. However, one wonders what sort of mind can find such images aesthetically pleasing. Party-hopping socialites (for example, Shobhaa De after all her bombast of "enough is enough" after the Mumbai attack, went and watched a pirated copy!) who are distanced from such reality may find this film an "eye-opener" but for us it IS just poverty-porn. Leaving that aside, I have eight other objections to the film.
1) The director seems to RELISH showing violence. Some of it (like the police-torture) is quite needless. And why was the boy arrested in the first place? On what charge? Was it realistic?
2) How can a boy growing up in slums speak such accented English? Even if one assumes that the language he actually uses to communicate with the game-show host and the police officer is Hindi (granting the director the creative license to use a language better suited for international audiences), there are 2 instances where it is stretched too far: (a) when the boy becomes a ‘guide’ for foreign tourists at the Taj Mahal & (b) when he becomes a substitute-operator at the call-centre.
3) When the boy uses his ‘lifeline’ during the game-show, his friend discovers that she has forgotten her mobile and has to run back for it. This is plain Bollywood masala! Did the director HAVE to make it so melodramatic?
4) How did the boy know who invented the revolver just by watching his brother use it?
How does his friend know about Benjamin Franklin?
5) “Darshan Do Ghanshyam” is NOT written by Surdas. It is written by Gopal Singh Nepali for the movie Narsi Bhagat (1957). This song is also credited as traditional and originally written by 15th century poet Narsi Mehta, whose life that film is based on.
6) After winning the game-show, the boy sits on the railway platform and nobody recognizes him! Considering the popularity of the show, is that realistic?
7) Two glaring omissions: To qualify for the show one has to answer several GK questions over phone or Internet. Even after making it to the show, a contestant can reach the hot-seat, only after “fastest finger first”. All this is conveniently forgotten in the film.
8) And of course the greatest flaw in the storyline: programmes like 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' and 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' are NOT telecast live. As a result the entire structure of the film becomes unrealistic. For a film that boasts of being realistic such a flaw cannot be overlooked.
Anyone else wants to say this is a g-r-e-a-t film despite all these flaws?
I mentioned Latika's accent, but forgot to include that about Jamal as well. It also bothered me that everyone around this couple were out to get them in some way. Everyone. Without the torture scenes, Irrfan Kahn could have been such a likeable character...he could have been a the kid's biggest cheerleader.
My husband was in India when the film opened there, and the family he was with were A. not impressed and B. put off by it
I applaud your comments and thank you for your input!
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