I am glad that Danny Boyle came out of nowhere and trumped the would-be winners at the Oscars.
By now, you know that Slumdog Millionaire took 8 of the golden statuettes. And for a good reason I suppose. It’s the kind of movie you want to watch because it is about overcoming the odds to win in life.
Of course the story jars at some points but it could only be me. It could be that I think it’s highly insulting for the host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to keep buggering the poor kid (Jamal) about his slum life. If that’s how the game is played in India, who the hell wants to be on that game show?
Slumdog Millionnaire is a feel-good Bollywood type of movie despite the hue and cry that the focus is on the slums and of course being upset that the slum dwellers are called slumdogs.
Well then people can’t be pleased all the time – if one did a film on the rich in Mumbai then the poor will cry,” But what about us?” And when one does a film about the poor in Mumbai, they start getting upset that they’re portrayed as such.
If you have not watched this movie, now is probably the right time to go do it. At least you can be quite satisfied that you did watch a film which garnered 8 Oscars.
Coincidentally I’d watched Millions, another film by Danny Boyle a few weeks before I watched Slumdog Millionaire.
If you have not caught Millions, I suggest you do. That film is a bit like Slumdog, only funnier and better in a whimsical way. As you can see by now, Danny Boyle is a man who makes movies about money and nothing less than a million!
Some similarities between Millions and Slumdog Millionaire:
– Both revolve around money. Millions is about finding a duffel bag of British pounds. Slumdog is about winning a million.
– Both involve siblings or 2 brothers. The brotherhood theme is one that makes the story heartwarming, funny and as real as this relationship goes.
– Both involve trains.
– Both involve a woman. In Millions, the woman in question is the boys’ father’s new love life. In Slumdog, it is Latika, Jamal’s love interest that gets between him and his brother.
Also both tell the story that it isn’t really about money at all (despite their titles). Money can give you heaven but it is most surely about hell and greed too. Money complicates lives and changes people. In Millions, the boys learn that money really doesn’t solve problems. In Slumdog, Jamal had no interest in really winning the money – he just wanted Latika!
Danny Boyle also directed Trainspotting but I have not watched that but I highly recommend Millions (it was loaned to me by Derek). Thanks buddy!