Slumdog Millionaire

I have to say I was a bit disappointed in Slumdog Millionaire. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it’s just that it didn’t live up to the hype of a whopping eight Academy Awards. I suppose I should be happy to see that the American Academy would appreciate a film like this, but man, it must have been a poor year for movies if this was the absolute best.

Early on in the film, I was unimpressed by the characterization of the children; they seemed far too mature and “western” — they acted and spoke in ways that children their age would never do. During the bulk of the film, the oh-so-American Who Wants To Be A Millionaire setting and music killed a lot of the drama (incidentally: the game show company co-produced this film, so it’s not surprising if it feels like feature-length product-placement.) But finally, in the end, the romance just wasn’t there for me — they only knew each other as little children, and yet we’re expected to accept that their relationship is infinitely deep and meaningful. I just didn’t feel it.