by Andrea Reale

Created on: January 15, 2009

It's beautiful, intelligent and inspiring. It's dauntingly chilling as it is surprisingly warm. It makes you laugh when you should, cry when you should and say "wow" when you should. It will make you thankful for the roof over your head and the food on your plate. It's this year's little movie that could. It's Slumdog Millionaire.

Clawing its way out of the slums of Mumbai to sashay down the red carpet of virtually every award show this season, Millionaire blends a story of persevering love with the backdrop of a sinister Indian society. Danny Boyle is at the helm of this stunner bringing his quirky brilliance to Simon Beaufoy's complex adaptation of Vikas Swarup's novel. The film chronicles the life of Jamal Malik, one of life's forgotten "slumdog" inhabitants of Mumbai, India. Joined by his brother Salim, the two manage to weave in and out of trouble in search of Latika, a fellow slumdog who effortlessly pulls at the delicate heart strings of our protagonist. In a last ditch effort to be with his lady love, Jamal appears on his country's version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" making it to the brink of the final question before being whisked away on accusations of cheating. During an intense interrogation process, several flashbacks not only assure his answers but show just how deep you can descend into the bowels of hell in order to experience the heavenly ascent to love.

There are many things that Millionaire does right and if you nit pick, several things it does wrong. The incredibly charming children that represent the youngest versions of Jamal and Salim, lure you in with their sad eyes, half smiles and burgeoning wit. They make you want to wrap them in a blanket and take them far away from the slums. Dev Patel, the prominent elder Jamal, carries the weight of the film squarely and quite strongly on his shoulders. There is immense emotional depth to his character and even with his aberrant life circumstances still comes across as relatable to anyone who views him. His calm unassuming nature makes you fall in love with him. Boyle uses his unique alternative vision of direction to showcase how potentially beautiful life can be if even amidst jealously, brutality and corruption. Life is not about what is happening, but about how you choose to see it. Despite scenes of vehemence and torture, you can't keep your eyes from the screen. Simply put, Millionaire is visually beautiful.

Now the film is not without its clichs. The ending is obvious from the beginning and sometimes doesn't coincide with the harsh realities seen on screen. Jamal, Salim and Latika live in a cruel and dangerous world. Only in Hollywood, or Bollywood, could they ride off into the sunset. There are other slight clichs such as a ribbing to ignorant American tourists and the Oliver Twist like predicament the two boys get themselves into. It's a Cinderella story coupled with the classic boy likes girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl to only lose her again and now has to do something extraordinary to get her back. Nevertheless, every film has clichs. Films have to. If they don't, what does an audience relate to; especially in a film such as Millionaire.

With everything aside, as award season approaches, Millionaire is more than likely to be the contender that no one wants to step into the ring with. So when you hear "and the winner is" don't expect anything else to follow but Slumdog Millionaire.

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