Sorry Meltingpot readers for the paltry blogging. I'm scrambling to finish that YA manuscript I was supposed to finish last month. Oops. Add to that a four-year old with a stomach virus and you can see how I've fallen behind.
Still, I wanted to make sure as you were planning your holiday must-see movie list, you included Slumdog Millionaire. Even if it means you have to drive an extra few miles to get to the one artsy fartsy theater that's showing it, you must make the effort.
The film is about a boy born into the slums of Mumbai who survives his wretched childhood and through bizarre circumstances becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Because he's winning on the show, answering all of the questions right, the authorities assume he must be cheating and so the movie begins.
Despite the fact that the movie's plot revolves around the horrors of slum living, there is still a lot of heart and humor in this film. The actors are authentic and fresh --especially the child actors -- and the story line is unique. Not to go all Siskel and Ebert, but I really did laugh and cry throughout the movie. I think director Danny Boyle really deserves the four Golden Globe nominations the film recently received.
So, don't forget when you're looking for something to go see over the holidays and you're trying to decided if you want to watch Vince Vaughn play himself again, or Jennifer Aniston play second fiddle to a dog, consider Slumdog Millionaire. The movie provides the perfect combination of entertainment, enlightenment and one really cool dance number towards the end.
Peace!
p.s. For those of you who did see the film already, did anybody else notice that all of the characters, except the naughty older brother, got lighter in complexion as they got older. Is that because people turn lighter in India as they age? Or because Danny Boyle could not find any darker hued adult actors to match the skin tones of the child actors? Or because all actors with Indian ancestry have light skin? Or....It's not that big of a deal, but of course Ms. Meltingpot noticed. Thoughts?
4 comments:
I'm a huge Fox Searchlight fan, so my inbox has been filling up with notices about this movie. I can't wait to see it!
Christina,
It's so worth it. Enjoy.
This movie is wonderful; my favorite of the year. I read your review before I saw it so I looked out for the skin tone change. I think the most dramatic was Lateka...the younger brother had some lightening but not too dramatic.
This movie is the best! You will definitely not regret viewing it. I was most interested in seeing it because the adult lead/younger brother, Dev Patel, is on this BBC America show that I discovered several months ago called Skins - Big shout out to Skins - It's a great edgy show about teens in Britain. So, I was curious and happy to know that he acted in movies also. I see award(s) in this movie's future.
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