Slumdog Millionaire - B-

Lawyer's original review is here.

18 year old Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) grew up in the Bombay slums, but has a chance to become a millionaire on the TV show Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The film is told with flashbacks as the police interrogate Jamal and he is forced to explain how he knew all the answers. Amazingly, the TV show questions correspond chronologically to Jamal’s childhood. Jamal grows up under the protection of his older brother Salim (both played by 3 different child actors). But when the story needs a little manipulative jolt and extra drama, Salim suddenly reverses motivations (twice!). The brothers also grew up with Latika but eventually separate from her. Jamal spends his entire childhood thinking about Latika, wanting to reunite. Because no one understands “eros” love like an uneducated 8 year-old orphan who has to scam and scavenge for food . . .

The versatile Danny Boyle has made some very good films this decade in the science fiction (Sunshine), horror (28 Days Later), and family (Millions) genres. Slumdog Millionaire wants to be a hard-hitting drama, a tough gangster film, and an inspiring romance all at the same time. Instead of the separate components building on each other, the lack of focus results in whiplash. The on location buildings (especially the Taj Mahal – wow!) and natural extras are beautiful, but the story and tone undermine the tragic existence of slum living. When Jamal jumps into a toilet and is covered in excrement, it’s shamelessly played for laughs. Alternatively, when one of the Jewish children jumps into the toilet to hide in Schindler’s List, it’s emotionally devastating:

Boyle masterfully used camera angles and first rate character placement and frame composition in Trainspotting (which accentuated his take on drug abuse), but unfortunately his technique in Slumdog Millionaire is far less unique and inspired. With the quick cuts and fast camera moves, Boyle seems to be channeling latter day Tony Scott, complete with useless subtitles. Even worse, an early chase through the slums seems to parallel the “Lust for Life” opening in Trainspotting, but here, the music is forgettable and without a character like Ewan McGregor’s Renton to draw the audience in, the viewer is kept at arm’s length. It’s not Dev Patel’s fault. He sits in the TV show chair with a really long face for much of the film. I’d be depressed too if I had to recall all the crap he does.

As the police interrogator, Irrfan Khan fares better than Anil Kapoor, the TV show host, who looks like a chubby George Michael with a slightly darker complexion. The undeniably beautiful Freida Pinto plays the oldest Latika well and she does have good on-screen chemistry with Dev Patel. The scene where she answers the phone is one of my favorites, but there is no reason why Salim would give her the phone other than to create this (ultimately false) moment. The movie also doesn’t have the guts to end in any other way other than a fairy tale. In isolation, the closing credits are great, with a Bollywood style dance routine at the train station and the older Jamal and Latika dancing their pants off. It's fantastic - in every sense of the word. But I’m not watching a 3-4 minute video on youtube. I’m watching a film, and this just added to the confused tone and undermined any strength the love story had just developed.

Last year, I took exception with that other overpraised indie Juno. But at least Diablo Cody was smart enough to include the Jason Bateman character that allowed the film to be about something (growing up). Slumdog Millionaire isn’t really about anything. Yes, I understood the plot, but there’s no underlying current and no through-line. I was never bored so C+ is too harsh, but I can’t really go with a B either mostly because Boyle and company gloss over the horrible slum environment. They also gloss over religion (Salim is Muslim) and ultimately don’t have the guts or teeth to really be about anything. It's as confused as its oxymoron-ic title. B-