SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Directed by Danny Boyle

It’s not often anymore that we find a film that rises up from the depths of nowhere and winds up everywhere. Last year, I thought WAITRESS might have been that film, but with a whole lot of bad luck and timing, it came and went without too much notice. That leaves the only other recent choice to be ONCE, the little pseudo-documentary that thrived at film festivals across the country in 2007, until finally being picked up for the mainstream and ultimately leading it into Oscar contention for Best Original Song, for which it won. And even though the entire idea of an independent film has been tested the past few years by overnight hits like LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and JUNO, I think we can all agree these films are as unique and as real as they come. But, is that enough to warrant the Oscar buzz that tends to come around each year for these ‘indies’? That’s the million dollar question and one that I attempt to answer each and every year leading up the Oscars, but for now have to settle on one simple act of brilliance displayed in possibly this year’s overnight wonder, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

Adapted from the book Q & A, written by Vikas Swarup, the story here followsa young street beggar by the name of Jamal Palik (Dev Patel) who defies odds by not only getting a shot on the India version of the hit game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?', but once on the show, he starts answering every question correctly, thwarting the region into a frenzy. In fact, Jamal does so well, that the show and police start to question whether he is cheating or not, going as far as to bringing him in for questioning, among other things. So, as the story flips back and forth between the show and the police questions, we start to see the whole story behind Jamal and how he came to know the answers to all the questions asked. Growing up in the slums, with no family other than his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and female friend Latika (Freida Pinto), Jamal developed a thick skin and fought his way through life. The two brothers spent years on the move, going from one place to the next learning about their country in the mitts of just trying to survive by whichever means necessary. If that meant lying, cheating or stealing, they did so without looking back, as it was truly their only option at the time. But as they got older, they each started to drift more into the unknown and long gone were the carefree days of just having fun. And never in Jamal’s wildest dreams could he imagine sitting on his country’s most popular game show answering questions about those very things he did or came across in his tumultuous young life. But he was and for one very good reason as we later find out, with all kinds of pressure, no thanks to the unconvinced show host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), who was doing anything but helping the young phenom.

Unless you hail from the Far East near the Arabian Sea, I am confident you have no clue who this cast is or what they are about. I know I didn’t, but was pleasantly surprised with the performances', as each gave way to a story that was better than most and one that I feel everyone should watch at least once. And this cast begins with all the kids who played the main characters of Jamal, Salim and Latika at three separate stages of life. Director Danny Boyle was able to find the perfect mix of talent and made it work at each stage, leading up to the brilliant pairing of Dev Patel and Madhur Mittal, both of which that did more than an admirable job in their individual roles, especially Mittal, who had the thankless part as the older and often troubled brother. But, it was the chemistry of Patel and Pinto that helped vault this story from a rags to riches theme to something even greater, as these two hit it off each and every time they entered the screen together or separate. And that played such an intricate role throughout, despite them not being in too many scenes together, as the true premise behind this story as we find out was love and how destiny can lead you through the wildest of experiences.

Anytime you see a story based around a country that isn’t often talked about, unless a natural disaster has hit it, you should watch it because the fact of the matter is, we all should learn more about the world we live in. And that’s beauty of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, as it’s not so much about India, but in some underlying way still shows you the country in all its glory. I credit director Danny Boyle (TRAINSPOTTING) for that, as he clearly wanted to bring to life some of the mysteries of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and how a story like the one of Jamal Palik’s can reach the world. And the ways he did it behind the camera were just uncanny, as so much of India was brought to life with just the right angle and color. The story itself was almost too organized and given the constant back and forth between the past and present, I have to give some kudos to screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who took Swarup’s book and turned it into a wonderful adaptation on the big screen. And given the story and extreme backdrop, I was surprised to see such ease at which this story moved, but clearly Boyle not only respected the original book, but took his screenwriter’s own words and brought them to life in one unimaginable way. The end result was just a wonder to watch and although this story could be broken down quite easy, and sure, some might say it’s even too perfect by films end, I liked it that way and was glad to finally see a film with no apologies for being a great story.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE won’t scream must see, but it should. With all the popcorn flicks and unneeded gratuitous action and humor that covers the holiday box office; it’s a nice change of pace to see a real feel-good story like this one. And with a soundtrack that will almost get you out of your seat, I can’t think of a better film to be nominated come Oscar time, for it shows the true meaning behind that unspeakable thing we called destiny.

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