Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Slumdog Millionaire

My wife and I had the pleasure of taking in the matinee showing of Slumdog Millionaire at the Esquire. I was not looking forward to it, but was pleasantly surprised. The plot is a flashback of the life of Jamal Malik as he is presented questions during the game show “Who wants to be a Millionaire?”

The movie presents the struggle of 100’s of millions of children worldwide growing up in poverty. The slums of Mumbai are well known and the risks children face are thrust into the spotlight. The films portrayal is gritty, but with enough light hearted moments to keep the film from being depressing.

The underlying plot of family ties is especially intriguing as two brothers struggle to support and raise one another in the face of escalating uncertainty and despair. Finally the lost love born in the film’s opening sequence is especially troubling for Jamal and follows him through his adolescence and into adulthood.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes rooting for the underdog, in this case a slumdog born into poverty in Mumbai.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I laughed, I cried - it was better than Cats! Even the baby enjoyed the movie as he or she kicked, elbowed and shoved during the music scenes. What a great time!