Movie Review: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Excellent movie.

It's about a teenager from the slums of India, Jamal, who goes on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.' They can't believe that an uneducated 'slumdog' could know all the answers, so he's accused of cheating, and therefore fraud, and is hauled in to the police station and forced to explain how he knows them all. As he answers, you see the story of his life. It's an interesting concept for a movie.

The movie is well written and well acted. Some of the flashbacks are in Hindi, but it wasn't distracting. I think that adds to our understanding of where he came from. It shows that it's a completely different world from what we know here. Cultures are so bound up in language, and vice versa, that it would almost be wrong to have them in English. And yet it's made for an English-speaking audience, so I think the use of English in the present helps us to relate to him. (Sorry - I'm a language geek.)

I absolutely loved Jamal (played by Dev Patel). Not quite sure what the word is to describe him. He's not adorable, because that sounds too soft. But he's not heroic or dreamy either. He's everyday, but better than that. Hm...yeah, I think that's probably best.

The kids in the flashbacks are cute, the love of his life (Freida Pinto) is gorgeous and sweet, and the actor (Irrfan Khan) who played the cop interrogating him was very good. The only one I wasn't particularly thrilled with was his brother when they were grown up. But oh well. I got over it.

So anyway, I highly recommend this movie. I just hope I haven't oversold it.