Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Slumdog Millionaire is one of those movies that really sticks with you. It follows Jamal, a kid from the slums of Mumbai. Watching him go through so much and still come out with hope makes it pretty powerful. The movie does a great job showing the reality of life for kids in poverty but doesn’t feel like it’s trying to preach. Director Danny Boyle keeps things moving with a fast pace, and the mix of tension, humor, and drama keeps you hooked. The visuals are great too, showing all sides of Mumbai, from the city to the harshness of life in the slums. Overall, Slumdog Millionaire is a must-watch. It’s raw, emotional, and, at the end of the day, it’s a story about resilience and hope. Perfect for when you want a movie that hits hard but leaves you feeling uplifted.

Dev Patel is great here as "Jamal", a young man from the Mumbai slums who shot to fame by winning the first ever jackpot on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" only to be accused of cheating. It's not an unreasonable allegation - this lad comes from a background that suggests little, if any, education and yet he is answering some tough questions that, theoretically, he should not know the answers too. It's during this (actually quite brutal) interrogation, which is interspersed with flashback and with each round of the television quiz, that we discover a little of the childhood and upbringing of this young man and about how he has amassed the knowledge to, legitimately, get the answers correct. It's a story about humanity and decency, this - and the ensemble cast, especially the street urchins, help to deliver an authentic glimpse at not just the poverty in which they lived, but of their sense of community and loyalty to each other as they grew up together. Now there's no point in pretending that the writing is great - it isn't. It's doesn't really allow for any in-depth character development. Somehow, though, Patel's sheer screen presence and optimism, coupled with the overall style of the film cover up for that more than adequately leaving us with a solidly entertaining, occasionally thought-provoking, rags-to-riches story that I suspect many people can readily identify with. It's a bit too long, and maybe the romantic elements could have been ditched, but all told it's still well worth watching.