It has been such a long time since I have unreservedly given a film a 10/10 score and I am thrilled to give Slumdog Millionaire just that. This is the uplifting story of a Mumbai teenager who has grown up in the slums and goes on to become a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?".
The film is beautifully acted and scripted and I enjoyed every single minute of it. The cinematography is amazing and both the score and the soundtrack are beautiful. The film is two hours long but I certainly did not notice the length; in fact, I thought it was just perfect. It deserves all ten Oscar nominations, the Golden Globe for best motion picture (drama) as well as the host of other nominations and wins awarded so far.
The cast won a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture but there are two performances which, for me, deserve mention.
Tanay Hemant Chheda is amazing in his performance as "middle" Jamal. I thought he gave a considered and tender performance and I hope we get to see more of this fine young actor in the future.
Dev Patel says that he acted in Skins for a bit of a laugh and he didn't take it too seriously. Well, after winning 7 awards and being nominated for another five (so far), I have a feeling we'll all be taking this talented young actor very seriously in the future. He is fantastic in Slumdog Millionaire.
There has been a lot of controversy about the film lately and a lot of reviewers slated the predictability of the film and it's feel-good tone. As always the question for me is whether I enjoyed the time that I spent watching the film and the answer is a resounding "yes". This is the type of film that made me fall in love with gong to the movies in the first place.
