'Slumdog Millionaire' review It's a fairy tale, and it's a keeper By Matt Pais Metromix November 11, 2008
Critic's Rating: Dev Patel and Freida Pinto (Credit: Ishika Mohan/Fox Searchlight) Photos: Slumdog Millionaire Running time: 116 minutes Rated: R Cast: Dev Patel - Jamal Malik (older) Freida Pinto - Latika (older) Madhur Mittal - Salim Malik (older) Anil Kapoor - Prem Irrfan Khan - InspectorSee full cast Tanay Hemant Chheda - Jamal (middle) Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar - Latika (middle) Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala - Salim (middle) Ayush Mahesh Khedekar - Jamal (youngest) Rubina Ali - Latika (youngest) Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail - Salim (youngest)Hide full cast Director: Danny Boyle Official Movie Web Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/slumdogmillionaire/ Overall User Rating: (0 ratings) Be the first to review Jamal (Dev Patel) is one question away from winning 20 million rupees on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" before the cops bring him in for questioning on suspicion of cheating. The film jumps back and forth between Jamal's interrogation and an array of memories -- drawn from a dangerous, unschooled life on the run with his brother Salim and an unending search to reunite with his love, Latika (Freida Pinto) -- that may indicate how he knew the answers. The buzz: The movie has already made a big splash at the Toronto Film Festival and offers a story that's practically guaranteed to draw you in. Plus, we already know director Danny Boyle can handle rough-and-tumble lives ("Trainspotting") and sweet stories about kids determining the relationship between money and happiness ("Millions"). The verdict: I can't wait for this one to take off. The year's best crowd-pleaser, "Slumdog Millionaire" has the tear-jerking heft of a classic feel-good story--yep, I was a little choked up--as well as the zip and terror of a terrific rags-to-riches journey. Though the premise of Jamal's personal connection to every question is sometimes too much of a stretch--this feels a little like "Forrest Gump" meets "Quiz Show"--Boyle's in complete control of the material and his largely inexperienced young actors, who demonstrate what "doing whatever it takes" really means. Jamal's got karma on his side, and he's proof that life provides its own form of education. Did you know? Think you'd do anything to meet your favorite celebrity? Until you, like Jamal, would jump in a pile of poop to get what you want, you're only the second most devoted fan out there. http://chicago.metromix.com/movies/movie_review/slumdog-millionaire-review/764905/content
