'Slumdog Millionaire' Movie Review

What makes Slumdog Millionaire one of the best films of 2008?

A) It's something we haven't seen a million times before
B) The acting is incredible
C) It tells a compelling, alternately heart-wrenching and heartwarming story
D) Director Danny Boyle captures Mumbai in all its complexities, but never loses sight of each individual character

No need to phone a friend or ask the audience for help on this one. And asking for your 50/50 lifeline would lead you further away from the right answer, which is actually all of the above. I know that wasn't an option, but cut me some slack as the actual Who Wants to be a Millionaire? show only allows four choices. I had a difficult time as it was cutting down the possible right answers to just four. Chopping it to three and adding an 'all of the above' response just wasn't an option.

Based on the book Q&A by Vikas Swarup, Slumdog Millionaire is an incredibly absorbing tale made all the more impressive by the fact director Danny Boyle shot it in Mumbai on a tiny budget. Boyle cast young actors with little or no experience in the main roles, and got from them gripping performances seasoned actors would have had difficulty pulling off.

The Story

How can an uneducated, 18 year old from the slums do what doctors, lawyers, professors and others fortunate enough to have had a higher education failed to do? When we meet Jamal Malik, a chai wallah (tea runner) at an Indian-based call center, he's in the hot seat on the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. As his winnings pile up the show's host, Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), seems quite incredulous over the fact this lowly teen is answering so many questions correctly. He's now just one question away from winning 20 million rupees and Kumar doesn't understand how this kid from the slums is pulling it off.

Suspecting Jamal's a cheater, and with just one question remaining to be answered, Kumar has the police haul Jamal in for questioning. After not giving up any real information when he's tortured, the police inspector sits him down and goes one by one through the questions he's already answered. When asked how he became so knowledgeable on such a wide variety of subjects, Jamal reveals each question related to a particular memory from his past.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about Jamal's hard life in the slums with his older brother, how he lost his mother at a young age, and about the girl he's always believed he's meant to be with – the beautiful Latika. Because each question relates to a specific chapter in his past - from dealing with gangs to a run in with a ruthless gangster – Jamal's life experience prepared him to win on this game show. It's as if he's fated to be on Millionaire.

The Cast

Jamal's played by three young actors and I'll tell you what, each of them is just absolutely incredible. I'm not often a fan of child actors, but Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (youngest Jamal) and Tanay Chheda (middle Jamal) are mesmerizing to watch. The same goes for the newcomers who play Jamal's brother Salim and Latika as children. Dev Patel, a British actor who has Danny Boyle's daughter to thank for his part in Slumdog, is Jamal at 18, and this kid's something special. The gorgeous Freida Pinto (Latika at 18) delivers a touching, graceful performance and one that makes you understand why this boy would have remained in love with her his whole life.

The Bottom Line

From the cinematography to the editing to the score, Slumdog Millionaire is a first-rate production. It's also one of those little gems that wouldn't have drawn much attention at theaters had it not been for all the awards recognition it received. Slumdog Millionaire's really benefiting from the awards hype and moviegoers are, fortunately, getting turned onto this appealing, entertaining film.

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy weave an enchanting, fast-paced story. Take any one scene out of the film and you'd be doing this picture a great disservice. How often can you say that?

Slumdog Millionaire tempers brutality with great beauty and mixes poverty with a sense of hope. It's a little film with a big heart, and one that deserves any attention it gets.

P.S. Stay for the credits. There's a catchy number that's a musical celebration of life.

GRADE: A

Slumdog Millionaire was directed by Danny Boyle and is rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language. Theatrical Release Date: November 12, 2008