My Pick of the Year

Rating: 10/10 (2 January 2009)

Slumdog Millionaire is a fairy tale, a comedy, a tragedy, a love story, a tale of hope, a tale of brutal realism, a window into slum life in India and all with a dash of Bollywood. The basic premise of Slumdog is fairly simple and has been covered in depth by other reviewers. Jamal Malik, a product of the harsh slum life found in Mumbai's dark crevices, ends up a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. How does a "slumdog" with no education wind up being successful on the show? Behind each answer is a story, a story that hearkens back to events in Jamal's (mostly young) past, growing up with his brother Salim and eventually the object of Jamal's obsession, a girl named Latika) on the streets of Mumbai and how they do whatever needs to be done to ensure basic survival, whether it be, trawling around rubbish, begging, scamming or stealing.
The early scenes involving young Jamal and Salim will move you, the two kids are absolutely adorable, and it's difficult to believe their acting is acting because their performances are hands down the best and most memorable in the film. In particular, the outhouse scene is absolutely classic. I haven't laughed and simultaneously cringed at a scene like that in quite some time. Notwithstanding the comedic moments, there are tragic moments that are difficult to digest, but important in conveying the harsh realities of their respective lives and the lives of many in the slums. In the face of all the difficulties of slum life and being forced to grow up well ahead of their chronological years, the two boys are remarkably resilient and that resilience to survive sets Jamal and his brother off in entirely different directions as they adjust to hard life in Mumbai.
The cinematography in this film is superb. Even amidst the squalor of Mumbai's slums, the depth and vibrancy of the colours bring the city of Mumbai to life like no other film I've seen. It truly represents film as artwork. I was completely immersed in the Boyle's imagery of Mumbai, much as I was in the depiction of Rio de Janeiro in "City of God" and there are certainly visual aspects of Slumdog's story and cinematography that are reminiscent of "City of God".
Anil Kapoor is superb in his role as Millionaire's host. He perfectly creates the tense atmosphere of the show. You feel the tension *as if* you are watching the show. I am not a game show enthusiast and I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the film. Previously not knowing that Anil Kapoor was a famous Bollywood actor, he was so believable in his role that I initially assumed that he was the actual host of the Millionaire's Indian version.
There is clearly a fairy tale aspect to this film. But as one reviewer noted, to say the premise is unrealistic is to say that someone winning the lottery or a game show in "real life" is unrealistic. Putting that aside, the movie is not really about "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", this is simply an unconventional vehicle to tell a harrowing tale of the life many children in Mumbai must live through and how it shapes Indian society. In fact, Jamal's motivation for being on the show has absolutely nothing to do with being on the show or becoming a millionaire, and that is made very clear during the course of the film. This is a different type of fairy tale, one overlaid on a harsh depiction of life for many in Mumbai. Some reviewers get caught up in the fact that the questions posed on the show all relate to some aspect of Jamal's life, when that is exactly the point. The movie would not work if it were otherwise, Jamal's appearance on Millionaire is just the means to the end and not what the film's focus is supposed to be, notwithstanding the film's title.
Excellent film. You will leave the film with a smile on your face, but also appreciative of how harsh slum life can be in Mumbai.