We Have a Winner!

Rating: Null/10 (18 January 2009)

Director Danny Boyle's Trainspotting is one of my all time favourite movies, and Mr Wroe's Virgins was a stunning piece of television, so I'm possibly a little biased, but this is one of the better films I've seen in the last twelve months.
I've seen this movie criticized by American reviewers as being a sanitized version of Indian poverty, then seen it criticized online as portraying India as a 'third world dirty underbelly', it's been criticized for being patronizing and insulting to an entire nation (India) and for showing too much dire poverty - and too little. In fact on one page of comments on IMDb I've seen it described as horrifying for the poverty and abuse it portrays and horrifying for its pandering to stereotypes, as simplistic, clichéd, racist, graphically violent, cynically exploitative and naive! In other words it appears to have upset both ends of the spectrum of opinion - so it has to be doing something right.
Personally, I really enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire. There is absolutely nothing wrong with an occasional feel good, happy ending to a movie, especially a movie which is fairly well written, has a good story arc with a beginning, a middle and an end, and satisfying performances. This one just happens to be a feel good movie set in India, and it's not directed by an Indian film maker (although the book it's based on was written by an Indian national). But since when has it been such a big deal for people to make films outside their own countries? It happens all the time. Having said that, as with any feel good, happy ending, it pays to bear in mind that life is rarely like that. Still - nothing wrong with a bit of dreaming every once in a while.
This is one of the few movies I've seen recently where I didn't slump into my seat with a disappointed sigh and the feeling that I've seen it all before. Slumdog Millionaire offered this particular jaundiced movie fan a new story and a fresh set of actors, far removed from the usual line up of Hollywood 'stars' and over paid, over exposed media darlings. I'd give it a pretty high score just for presenting some fresh new talent to the world.
It's not a complex story; Jamal and his brother Salim have grown up poverty stricken in Mumbai. Somewhere along the line Jamal met and lost the love of his life. Many years later he gets an opportunity to appear on the wildly popular TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? He succeeds despite being an uneducated "Slumdog" and Char Wallah because every question refers him back to a situation in his past life. By appearing on TV and transfixing the whole nation, Jamal connects once more with his lost love, and everyone lives happily ever after, the movie ending with a Bollywood production number. I appreciate that on the whole Indians don't spring into song and dance routines at major railway termini.
Dev Patel gives a lovely performance as Jamal. Dev can be seen in "Skins" on BBC America if anyone is interested. Also quite fabulous is Anil Kapoor as the condescending game show host. I thoroughly enjoyed Slumdog for the straightforward, uncomplicated piece of entertainment that it is. Good luck at the Oscars guys!