Bollywood Love Story

Since Christmas, I've been on a bit of a run, going to the movies almost every day. The multiplexes were figuratively flooded with new films for the holidays, which have piled up along with some earlier films I hadn't gotten around to, creating a real "to do" list for me. But of course, there's no time like vacation to tackle such a list.

First up was Slumdog Millionaire, the newest film from director Danny Boyle (famous for Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, though I very much enjoyed his movie Sunshine). This new effort from him is generating a fair amount of Oscar buzz and critical praise, and even picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture -- Drama. Some friends and I decided it was probably worth a look.

We ended up deciding the movie was terribly overhyped. But on the chance you've missed that hype, let me first give you a quick summary of the plot. Set in Mumbai, the story revolves a young man competing on the Indian version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? As questions are posed to him, the film flashes back to his childhood, growing up an orphan in the streets with his brother, showing where he picks up the random knowledge that will help him answer the trivia.

In truth, the movie is a love story. Boy meets girl, in this case another child living on the streets. Boy loses girl, boy spends his life trying to find girl. The particulars of this I won't get into, as doing so would spoil the movie. Even his attempt to go on the quiz show is related to the girl.

The acting in the movie is strong, from a cast of unknowns. The various children used in the movie's flashbacks are particularly impressive. The directing from Danny Boyle is also very strong, conveying the crowdedness and squalor of life on the streets in Mumbai.

But for me, it's the script that's weak. Very weak. This is a rags to riches fairy tale, and aside from the setting, it doesn't feel original in any way. The culture clash of an American audience watching a movie set in India certainly does make it novel, but it isn't really new. In moments where the wonder of the setting fades (for example, during the quiz show scenes -- as the Indian Millionaire set is a clone of the one from the States), you realize you've seen countless movies like this. You know exactly where it's going, and this particular one isn't going about it in any interesting way other than the setting.

Slumdog Millionaire is a grand spectacle at times. It does entertain. It does have a few good moments brimming with genuine emotion. But I feel if it weren't set in India, it would have vanished off everyone's radar, critics included. Not only would it not be getting award consideration, but it would probably already be available in the discount DVD bin.

I rate it a B-, which might be higher than you'd expect, given some of what I just said. But the cultural elements of the film, the exposure to something truly foreign, really is enough to rescue an ordinary movie and make it more. Not "extraordinary," but at least interesting.