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Slumdog Millionaire

Even though it was a whole day and a second late, my 2009 movie watching has started on the right foot. I am glad I convinced myself not to waste my time and money on, what I hear, is a horrible movie. I may still go see The Spirit at some point but it isn’t a priority. I did pick a movie that is slowly creating buzz, Slumdog Millionaire.

Walking into Slumdog Millionaire I knew very little about it. All I knew was that it had something to do with a poor kid about to win big on a game show. That’s it. Well, there was the fact that a friend of mine was going on about it but because of its limited release we couldn’t get to see it. I am glad she mentioned this little gem or else I may have missed out on this delightful experience.

The little I knew about the movie turned out to be true. There was a young man, Jamal, who grew up in total poverty and managed to make it to the final question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, in India. He was set to win 20,000,000 rupees. (That converts to approximately $488,994 CDN. It is not a millionaire but it is more money than I have so, whatever.) The story isn’t really about the game show but how Jamal, with no education, growing up in the slums of Mumbai, and, after the horrific death of his mother, his nomadic journey to adulthood, came to know all the answers to the questions that were presented to him. The movie is witty, shocking, beautiful and simply a refreshing change from many of the movies out there.

The film was directed by Danny Boyle. If you don’t recognize the name immediately you are not the only one. He is the gentleman that has provided the movie going public with a wide range of films such as Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine. He has a knack for making is locations look vivid without having them take over the movie. Children run through the slums and you don’t immediately notice the grime and filth but the colour and the life. The whole movie is filmed in that sort of just-out-of-film-school way that adds to the lack of wealth that is portrayed in the movie.

No, Slumdog Millionaire isn’t a perfect movie. The visuals are good but hectic at times, the acting can be sloppy at points, and it is a bit predictable but the way the whole movie is presented, with all the layers involved, you easily ignore those things. You get to like or dislike the characters, get involved with them and feel for them.

I highly recommend checking this one out if you have the chance. Once it is gone it will be one of those movies that you will only be able to find in some 2 for $10 bin in about 10 years. It doesn’t belong there but that is what happens to these hidden gems.
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