Slumdog Millionaire.

It’s the last day of a long weekend. I went to a fantastic concert last night, despite the fact that I’ve had a nasty cold, complete with chills, sweats and aching muscles. So, my thinking was that today could be pure relaxation and recuperation. But Em has expressed a strong desire to bust out and go see another one of the Oscar contenders. She’s been cooped up over the long weekend writing an appellate brief, and my take on relationships is that, every once in a while, even in the best relationships, you gotta do something you don’t want to. Not that I didn’t want to see the movie, I just really didn’t want to go out.

After a brief and mildly grumpy ride to the theater, we got our corn and took our seats. Two hours later, even with my grumps, I can only marvel at how much I loved Slumdog.

To be sure, this is ‘Rocky’ to me. The underdog story is far older than that, but it’s my reference point for the genre. There isn’t a lot of character development, and it’s not a cerebrally demanding film (e.g. The Fountain, Syncdoche, etc.). All of Boyle’s old tricks are brought seamlessly into the action – herky jerky editing, vivid use of color (the laundry by the river), a strong musical impression, and tense plot development. But instead of a zombie movie, or a conventional thriller, these elements find their way into a stirring love story.

I think it’s a bit harder to really get to know the main characters when they’re each played by three different actors as the characters age over time. But with the desperate straits these people face, I didn’t miss that sense of connection. In particular, the connection was actually present for me with Jamal, as a result of his scenes with the two, adult, male, supporting characters. All of the performances in this film are on-the-money, but the portrayals of the detective (who tortures Jamal because it’s his job) and the game show host (who provides a different kind of torture) stand out. This is where we see Jamal grow from the child of the slum to the man about whom ‘it is written.’

I was in the perfect spot to hate this movie today, or at least be really annoyed by it, and I’m so glad that didn’t happen. I haven’t seen ‘Millions’, but Boyle seems to have a nice touch with the kinder. When you add that to the fact that he made this movie in a country he had never even visited before, this project was potentially fraught with peril. Boyle’s steady hand and some outstanding performances made this the soaring triumph that it so desperately wants to be.