Courtney does Slumdog Millionaire

“When somebody asks me a question, I tell them the answer.”

The Scoop: 2008 R, directed by Danny Boyle & Loveleen Tandan, and starring Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla.

Tagline: What does it take to find a lost love?

Summary Capsule: Young man becomes a contestant on the Indian ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ to gain the attention of his true love and maybe fulfill his ultimate destiny

Courtney’s Rating: I’m supposed to be doing homework, but this seemed far more important…

Courtney’s Review: So you all know how I kept talking about The Graduate like it’s the greatest movie of all time? (I’ve still yet to review it – ah, well, such is life.) Well, it should be noted that that was before I saw Slumdog Millionaire.

Okay, that’s not fair. I can’t really say that because I’ve only seen Slumdog once so far, so I don’t know how it holds up to repeat viewings. (The Graduate holds up spectacularly, by the way.) I was actually waiting until I could see it again to review it, but then Kyle beat me to the first review (and pretty much wrote what I wanted to say. But whatever. I’m totally stealing all of his extras. I’m incredibly lazy.) Then the Oscars came and there was this huge sweep and Indian child in Mumbai were dancing and crying and I just got really excited and started yearning to review the movie.

It’s been nearly two months since I saw the movie, but whatever. I just really, really wanted to do this now. Also, I’ve been really busy, the only other movies I’ve seen recently are He’s Just Not That Into You and A Very Brady Sequel (review to come soon,) and I haven’t filled this month’s quota yet. So, here you have it.

If I wasn’t a big Danny Boyle fan, I don’t think I would’ve heard about Slumdog until it won the Golden Globe. I also don’t think I would’ve wanted to see it. But as it is, I am a Boyle fan, I did hear about Slumdog, and I did want to see it. Since October I’ve been bugging people about trying to see it. Of course, I was still in Hungary and the movie had barely been released in the US and the UK, so it didn’t happen for a while. But when I came home in December, I was delighted to hear that it was playing at a theatre in my hometown. It was so worth the wait.

It’s almost hard to describe what Slumdog’s about, only because the premise sounds super corny. (”It’s Forrst Gump set in India!”) And it would be, but Simon Beaufoy and Boyle handled the themes delicately. It’s about destiny, which is normally the lazy screenwriters’ answer to unlikely plot points. I hate “destiny” in movies. But here it just works.

I know I’m sounding like Meredith Viera right now, but there really aren’t many lows in Slumdog. The romance between Jamal and Latika is admittedly pretty flimsy. We know that they love each other, but we don’t really know why. This did bother me for a while, but I think it works out. Halfway through, I just decided that it doesn’t really matter why they love each other for this specific movie. All that matters is that they do. Also, I think that the relationship between Jamal and Salim is the important one. It’s more dynamic, and my sister and I spent the entire ride home discussing it.

The story is pretty cliché, but it’s told with a unique voice and vision in a world we rarely see, which is what movies are supposed to do.

And the dance number was kind of weird, but really fun, so it all works out!

What makes this film so good is that you can just tell that everyone who worked on it was in love with it. It really shows through in every aspect, and I think that’s why it had such a major sweep with the Academy.

Slumdog Millionaire has gotten a lot of flak for being really optimistic. If you ask me, it’s all unwarranted. We need happy movies now more than ever, and I’m sorry, but the Dark Knight and Wendy and Lucy just don’t fulfill that need. The happiest movie to win the Best Picture Oscar between 2000 and 2008 was Chicago, a musical about murderers trying to con people into thinking they’re innocent, so I’d say Slumdog’s win was refreshing. And to think that it almost went straight to DVD.

Like most Americans, I love underdog stories. Slumdog Millionaire was the ultimate underdog story, in the universe of the film and in real life as well. I’d suggest it for anyone who likes to smile, or anyone who just loves movies.

Groovy Quotes

Prem Kumar: A few hours ago, you were giving chai for the phone walahs. And now you’re richer than they will ever be. What a player!Prem Kumar: Its getting hot in here.
Jamal Malik: Are you nervous?
Prem Kumar: [audience laughs] What? Am I nervous ? Its you who’s in the hot seat, my friend!
Jamal Malik: Yes, sorry.

Jamal Malik: When somebody asks me a question, I tell them the answer.

Prem Kumar: So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?
Jamal Malik: No, but maybe its written, no?
Prem Kumar: Maybe…

If You Liked This Movie, Try These:

• Millions
• Bollywood/Hollywood
• Quiz Show