FILM FREAK: 4 buckets
MOVIE GEEK'S REVIEW:
Love conquers all. Director Danny Boyle takes this cherished idea and makes an intensely detailed film about the human heart and soul.
"Slumdog Millionaire" tells how an impoverished Indian teen, Jamal Malik, became a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire."
It's not the prize money that draws Malik, but an effort to prove his love for his friend Latika, an ardent fan of the show.
The answers to the questions came to Malik through his life experience. Whether it was knowing about a famous actor, who invented the revolver or who the Three Musketeers were, he correctly answered the questions because he really knew the answers.
The movie seamlessly flows in and out of the present to reveal these tidbits from Malik's past. It truly is an emotional experience for any viewer.
"Slumdog Millionaire" is both a love story and the ultimate rags-to- riches story. Roughly a quarter of the film is in Hindi, but even those people who claim they hate subtitled films will probably love this if they give it a chance.
4 buckets.
FILM FREAK'S REVIEW:
Jamal Malik is an orphan from Mumbai, India, who has lived a life of hustling and surviving by any means necessary.
The two most important people to him are his brother and his friend, Latika, for whom he has developed feelings.
Over time, Malik & his brother are separated from Latika. Eventually, Malik finds himself alone.
By chance he is chosen to appear on India's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," where he does so well that he is taken into police custody because he is suspected of cheating.
It is during the interrogation that Malik reveals the life experiences that gave him success on the show.
This is a love story, plain and simple. There is so much to this movie that is worth seeing, I'm not sure where to start.
There is only one thing on Malik's mind -- his love, Latika. Throughout their lives together, the survived the odds and survived by doing whatever was needed.
The viewer has to respect and understand how hard that is, given their impoverished lives. What makes the story even more special is that these are orphans living in the slums of Mumbai.
On the surface, a guy may consider this to be a "chick flick" or a "date
movie." This is one guy who thinks this is one of the best movies of the year.
4 buckets.
