An imperfect gem

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2008)

What a fun movie this was! The images are lush with the color and grit of a poverty-stricken Mumbai, India. The overall structure of the film was refreshing -- our hero, Jamal, has been accused of cheating on the popular show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Having grown up an uneducated, homeless, orphan the police find it hard to believe he could possibly answer so many obscure trivia questions correctly. Jamal claims that his life experience taught him lessons that, at least in the context of the chosen game show questions, served him as well as a formal education. The police inspector has a video of the show and as Jamal explains question by question how he knew the answers... the audience learns the story of his life through flashbacks.
The film vibrates off the screen with a texture and realism that could only be captured on- location in India. I've never been to south Asia, but a couple years ago I saw a film about a group of impoverished Indian children called "Born Into Brothels," which won the Oscar that year for Best Documentary. The documentary was shot on video and revealed a world unlike anything I'd ever seen before. "Slum Dog Millionaire" is pure fiction, but Boyle and company have truly captured the vibrancy, the movement, and the indelible hope that can be seen reflected in the eyes of children growing up in destitute poverty the world over.
The youngsters who play Jamal, his brother Salim, and Latika (Jamal's childhood sweetheart) are some of the best child performances I've ever seen on film. The child who plays the youngest incarnation of Jamal is nothing short of a miracle in my opinion. Even more surprising is the revelation that these kids are not actors, but were plucked from slums not unlike the ones depicted in the film.
The best part of the film are the flashback sequences-- they have a life of their own thanks to some incredible cinematography, a pulsating soundtrack, funny writing, and great performances. The game show sequences do their job, despite being over-simplified -- Anil Kapoor, who plays a mean-spirited Meredith Viera, slithers through his scenes with slimy finesse. He's even able to pull off a ridiculous scene in a bathroom where his character tries to manipulate Jamal. I just found it distracting that this opportunity would even present itself. But that's just me.
As for the latter part of the film, it fails to live up to the promise of the beginning. The weakest part is a love story that seems oddly forced/clichéd given the other strengths of the storyline. I suppose it's not really an Indian film if it's not about love, but from the start this film seemed to be about the relationship between the two brothers. I couldn't help but feel like there was some opportunity lost to tell a different, more interesting story there.
Dev Patel (from the terrific BBC show "Skins") plays the oldest Jamal and does a solid job. His appealing innocence is what makes us care about him from the first moment we see him. Unfortunately by the end, it's that same innocence that makes it hard to buy that he experienced the difficult life that's been revealed to us over the course of the movie. The beautiful Frieda Pinto (who plays the oldest incarnation of Latika) has a similar problem. She's given even less acting to do, but pulls off the damsel in distress role as well as anybody. The ending falls flat in a final game show sequence that is notable for it's complete lack of suspense. We have a trivia question the western audience knows the answer to, and the wrapping up of a storyline that we see coming from 30 minutes away.
In the final 15 minutes, things are unraveling quickly, and yet Boyle saves the ending by doing away with the predictable "guy gets rich, gets girl, and drives off into the sunset" motif. Instead Boyle keeps it simple and stays true to the world he did such an impeccable job creating. And to seal the deal? A marvelous Bollywood dance send up during the ending credits. This ending sequence is so much fun and leaves us, not thinking about the film's shortcomings, but rather with the memory of all there is to LOVE about this movie: Energy, color, and optimism in the midst of very harsh world.