Go see Slumdog Millionaire.

[PaloAltoCougar]

RF's glowing review of Slumdog Millionaire within another thread was accurate. Even the missus, who tends to avoid R-rated movies, absolutely loved it. Neither of us could think of a reason why it was rated R, although scenes of the Mumbai slums were so depressing I suppose that might be one reason. The movie begins with [NO SPOILERS] a young man from the slums being brutally interrogated by the cops on suspicion of cheating on the Indian "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." Everyone is deeply skeptical that an uneducated kid could know the answers. As they show each question, the movie flashes back to moments in the kid's life that gave him the knowledge. But suspicions of cheating remain, and the kid is involved with some very shady characters.

The movie gives a fascinating look at India, the will to survive, and the power of love (no Huey Lewis soundtrack, though). Best movie I've seen in quite awhile. I liked it much better than Benjamin Button which we saw last week and, while good, was not great. The movie also provides an amusing look at Indian call centers, and made me think of CJF and his team in the Philippines calling DirecTV about getting The MTN with "The New York Cowboys of Liberty."

RF's review appears below. A mild spoiler follows his review.

Slumdog Millionaire is an AWESOME film. On a lark I checked out what was playing here in St George and was surprised to find Slumdog Millionaire! Faith and I hied our way to the back of some mall where my jaw nearly hit the carpet when it only cost us $10 for BOTH OF US! We splurged the other half of the $20 on popcorn and soda. A veritable movie-going bonanza.

Slumdog Millionaire is a love story that follows a handful of characters from their childhood in violent slums up through their young adulthood in a burgeoning India on the verge of assuming major status on the world's stage. The love story at the center of the film is epic! At the end of the film I turned to look at a blubbering Faith to say, "The problem with this film is that it cheapens our love! Look at what these people went through for their love! We met at freaking BYU... what kind of love is ours compared to this!?" She kicked me in the shin. Seriously, the love story in this movie makes Titanic look like the schlock it is, and The English patient? CRAP! Slumdog Millionaire delivers the goods. It has got A1 sauce all over it.

It is also an incredibly uplifting film, even though it takes the viewer through some incredibly difficult stuff to watch. The film is rated R, but at the end of it, I was struggling to recall any swearing, or gore, or sex. All three are represented in the film, but not in the gruesome ways to which we have become accustomed in our more American R-rated movies. If anything, the film deserves its R-rating for its stark depiction of 'slumdogs' ie. the poorest children of India, living in continual peril in violent streets where there are always people seeking to take advantage of them. But the positive story and hopefulness of the story far outshines these bleak displays.

Slumdog does something similar to Forrest Gump and Y Tu Mama tambien in the sense that it follows its characters through a tumultuous period of a country's history. The historic context serves as a backdrop to the tumult in the characters own lives, and that tumult, like something out of a magical realism novel (think Rushdie's Midnight's Children) simultaneously plays out that history at the micro-level of the protagonists' lives. Very cool.

If there were ever an R-rated film to expose the craziness of an absolute religious ban on R-rated films, this would be it. Watch this film and you will be a better person. My pick for best film I have seen all year.

Cheers!

rf

MILD SPOILER






At the end, the kid embraces the young woman who has been the lifelong object of his unfulfilled affections. Instead of kissing her first on the lips, he goes for the side of her otherwise gorgeous face and kisses a nasty scar whose infliction was a key part of the story. One of the great onscreen kisses in cinema, I think.

[TripletDaddy]

I have tried to live the last couple of years of my life with the mantra, WWPACD?

Now that I see you recommending R-rated movies, I can't help but wonder, can you discuss briefly the artistic merits of Last Tango in Paris?

We just installed the car DVD player and my wife and I want to take it for a spin!

[PaloAltoCougar]

Now that I see you recommending R-rated movies, I can't help but wonder, can you discuss briefly the artistic merits of Last Tango in Paris?

My son, the Last Tango in Paris is one of the few R-rated movies I have not seen, as (a) it came out while I was on my mission and I reduced my R-movie intake during that period, and (b) the idea of seeing an aged and rotund Marlon Brando engaging in sexual contortions with a young woman struck me as unappealing. However, now that I am older, and only slightly rotund, than Brando when he made that movie, the thought has considerably more appeal. I'm on my way to Blockbuster as I type this, and I thank you for your inquiry.

[BigPiney]

It was good, I agree. I especially liked the Bollywood stuff during the credits.

There were parts of that movie that were painful and great to watch at the same time. I loved the determinitation when he gets the autograph.

[CardiacCoug]

Awesome movie -- probably somewhere in my all-time top ten.

I second PAC's opinion that although this movie is inappropriate for children, there isn't much there that even LDS people who don't normally watch R-rated movies would find offensive.

MILD SPOILER AHEAD.

I liked how the scene with the autograph defined the future personalities of the boys. Jamal was optimistic and persistent in seeking the autograph. Salim was ruthless and greedy in selling the autograph.

[Surfah]

One of the best movies I have seen in recent memory. Better than Pan's Labyrinth and No Country For Old Men which I think are two of the best movies in the last 5 years. And Latika is smoking hot. Whoa.

[frank ryan]

absolutely loved it. the "orphanage" stuff was almost too much to watch. how difficult this life is for so many. danny boyle is a flat-out film genius

[Surfah]

absolutely loved it. the "orphanage" stuff was almost too much to watch. how difficult this life is for so many. danny boyle is a flat-out film genius

And Latika was hot! All these reviews and I can't believe nobody mentioned her hotness.

[TripletDaddy]

Why was it rated R? Was there nudity or was it 2 or more F words?

[Surfah]

Why was it rated R? Was there nudity or was it 2 or more F words?

I don't know. No nudity at all. I don't recall a swear word except for shit. Maybe there were more but it wasn't in English.

I am guessing it was due to some of the disturbing scenes depicting life in the slums. But if you put Sally Struthers and Larry Jones in those same scene, you'd think you were watching a Saturday morning infomercial for Feed the Children.

The movie is brilliant.

[frank ryan]

And Latika was hot! All these reviews and I can't believe nobody mentioned her hotness.

yeah she was hella hot. indian women can be some of the most beautiful

[CardiacCoug]

yeah she was hella hot. indian women can be some of the most beautiful

Yep. My favorite is Aishwarya Rai.

[Surfah]

Yep. My favorite is Aishwarya Rai.

She's alright. I don't think she's the most beautiful woman in the world as she has been dubbed by many.

[Surfah]

yeah she was hella hot. indian women can be some of the most beautiful

Are you from Sacramento?

[frank ryan]

Are you from Sacramento?

i hate sacramento