A real treat for anyone who sees it

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2009)

"Slumdog Millionaire"
This was the true winner of 2008, a true rags-to-riches tale that took everybody by surprise and gained all of the praise and recognition it deserved. It's brilliantly acted, written, and directed by a mostly unknown cast of Indian actors and actresses, and their performances are true-to-life and phenomenal. "Slumdog Millionaire" is also one of those rare instances where all the hype and talk of multiple Oscar nods is actually true. And I'm glad I finally got to watch it.
The setup is pretty simple: Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is a "slumdog," a poor, uneducated kid who grew up on the rough streets of Mumbai, India, who by some unbelievable stroke of good luck has managed to land on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." However, he is soon arrested and accused of cheating by the show's producers because he knows the correct answers to the seemingly impossible questions that have been stumping scholars for years. The answer is: by sheer coincidence, that is how Jamal knows the answers to these questions. So, desperate to prove his innocence, he relates his life story and experiences, and his life-long quest to find his long-lost true love Latika (Freida Pinto).
Directed by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later...") and adapted from the novel "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup, "Slumdog Millionaire" is that unexpected masterpiece, a true winner in every sense. I had the opportunity to see the movie several weeks ago but due to a shortage of funds at the time (I had just seen "Watchmen"), I was unable to do so. But this movie pretty much came out of nowhere, and took everybody by surprise because it was the real deal, a real winner, a real underdog story, a real rags-to-riches fantasy come to life. We've read about and seen this sort of stuff in books and movies for years, but it's never been done this good before.
"Slumdog Millionaire" is a movie that deserved each and every one of its eight Oscar wins this year. This film is a real treat for anyone who watches it. Trust me, you won't regret watching it.
10/10