Overrated

Rating: 7/10 (12 April 2009)

It wasn't a bad movie really in my opinion but it seems way overrated... Watched it, and after all the awards and praise I was hoping for something to blow my mind or at least be extremely entertaining, instead I got a solid 7.
Compared with City of God (which is similar in many aspects) this can't really hold its ground. For one because the first was actually based on a true story and thus also written and filmed believable from the start up to the end and it was a movie depicting things as they really are (albeit maybe a little flashy) and focusing on the life story of one individual in the middle of it all, as opposed to Slumdog, which mainly focuses on the "Who is Gonna Be A Millionaire"-show (seemingly to be more appealing to the western civilization and TV viewers) all around... No surprise with shows like "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" leading the ratings in the US and in some cases International TV, while shows with brains get the axe by the minute.
If you want to view it as a "mirror" into Indian culture etc. I guess it was okay, but again it focused too much on the show and the respective answers. There are movies with a more... subtle approach that I liked more and imo succeeded better in doing that, e.g. Darjeeling Limited for example...
Also there were some cringe worthy moments like the flashbacks near the end, how he couldn't answer some of the more simple general questions, but somehow "circumstances" allowed him to answer questions in the show, and how winning just by coincidence saves ones entire life and is something to be admired, a few of those ruined it even more for me...
An okay movie, but 8 Oscars and so much international acclaim? (While City of God didn't get one) I smell something fishy xD