2008--Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

2008--Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

Nominated: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader

Should have won: Let the Right one in

Be sure to see: The Ruins, The Strangers, Tropic Thunder, The Wrestler

“What the hell can a slumdog possibly know?”--Police Inspector

“The answers. I knew the answers.”--Jamal Malik

     Is he a natural genius like Will Hunting? Did certain circumstances occur in his life with lessons and he retained them? How did a kid from the slums win the grand prize on the Mumbai version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?? That is exactly what people want to find out, including those who arrest him on suspicions of cheating.

     Lots of movies have flashback scenes but Slumdog Millionaire is interesting because there are two sets of flashbacks. The opening scene is Jamal being interrogated but he flashes back to his time on the show and he flashes back farther to his childhood experiences. Of the three story lines, the latter is the most interesting. It tells of his friendships and also his love for Latika who, over time, he loses touch with. The main reason for going on the show is in hope that Latika is watching so they can reconnect. What I didn't understand though is I thought the show was taped, not live. If this is so, then when he uses a phone a friend lifeline, the friend rushes to the ringing phone as she is watching the television. Maybe it is live in other countries, I'm pretty sure the show is taped in the U.S.

     How far fetched is it to think if you beat a game show, the producers will accuse you of cheating? Maybe not so much. I remember when Michael Larson solved the Press Your Luck board by figuring out its pattern. He found a way to stop it on a large amount of money and an extra spin every time. After the show, the network considered not giving him the prize but recanted. He solved the game. Did he cheat? No. Same thing with Jamal in this movie. He knows the answers because his memory is a steel trap, but the show didn't see it that way.

     I took it that Jamal wasn't interested in the money at all though. He only wanted to stay on the air for as long as possible so he could reunite with Latika. Director Danny Boyle (also responsible for the creepy 28 Days Later and another best picture nominee 127 Hours) does keep the tension mounted in the correct spots and Chris Dickens' editing was impressive in tying in the three time frames. Being an Indian production, it was odd for a Bollywood film to win best picture but for the most part I found it to be pretty good just not one I care about enough to see again. The only flaw I had is the ridiculous dance at the the end. Song and dance sequences are a normalcy in Bollywood movies, I have learned, but this one seemed so out of place. I love musicals and I like spontaneous dance numbers. But this is no musical. It seemed to be the most out of place musical numbers in a non-musical.

 

     For the most part the movie is okay. It was shot well and I was on edge hoping things would turn out well for Jamal in the end. It is just a very forgettable movie. When quizzing myself in trying to recall all of the best picture winners, Slumdog Millionaire is typically the movie that slips my mind for a second. It is a pretty decent movie I guess. I'm willing to bet if it hadn't won it would be completely forgotten though.