DVD: Slumdog Millionaire*

Checking out Amazon UK reviews of the movie I noticed that a number of reviewers gave it only one star on the basis of a quote on the cover: "The feel-good film of the decade," wrote Robbie Collin, News of the World, who obviously wanted his name on a DVD box. The one-star reviewers accurately pointed out that, as the movie contained scenes of torture, child abuse, blinding, racial violence, murder, rape (actually offscreen), and sundry other scenes of criminal activity, then what Mr Collin's idea of feel-good doesn't quite match up with theirs.

However, Mr Collin's stupidity doesn't excuse their own stupidity for giving a one-star rating to a film purely on the grounds of what one idiot wrote being quoted on the DVD box. Didn't they notice the 15 rating and the words "Contains strong language and violence"? First word 'Slumdog'. Did they think it was going to be like "Oliver the Musical"? If they considered the movie to be completely without merit and were bored even more stupid than they really are: fair enough. No film or any work of art is going to get universal praise. But to rate a film on...

And I've gone on about that enough.

Right, I'd like to give the usually parochial Oscar voters an Oscar for coming out of their shells and voting for something which isn't American or even British (and yes I know who produced, directed, financed and that Dev... blah blah blah) but is specifically Indian in its concerns. I can understand the movie being popular here with our strong links to India and its culture and Danny Boyle, etc, etc. But America's acceptance of it has amazed me.

8 Oscars! Deserve them? Hell, yes!

I loved the structure; how each question triggers a flashback to a key event in Jamal's life. One Amazon reviewer complained that it didn't feel real causing me to shout at the screen, "It's fiction, you moron!" It's real life that doesn't have structure. Fiction has to have structure and without the structure of this particular film it would have fallen apart. Told in a strictly linear setting without the triggers and with the quiz at the end, it wouldn't have a tenth of the impact. Without structure there is no art.

Dev Patel did the business. Forgot all about his Skins character.
Listen, Dev, mate, I know you're up for Hollywood movies now, but if it goes arse-end upwards,** come home and get yourself a part on a good British soap -Corrie or 'Stenders, like, with the Panto at Christmas. Then, after about five years, get the title role in a new British private eye or maverick cop tv series. Repeat money will keep you going for years.

As a nod to Bollywood, at the beginning of the credits, the entire cast do a dance routine at the station. Loved it.

And Dev, you've got yourself a cracking bird.

** The actual phrase is 'tits up' but that could be deemed sexist and this is a politically correct blog, so there!

*For obvious reasons, this review has not appeared (or even been submitted) on Amazon UK.

POST SCRIPT

But really, this film was rubbish. The two kids who play Jamal's younger self -they aint got sticky out ears like what Jamal has. I mean, it's obviously not the same person. Rubbish, I tell you, rubbish!