SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
CAROLINE: With all the buzz surrounding the new Danny Boyle movie, “Slumdog Millionaire,” I had to check it out for myself.
RYAN: And? 
CAROLINE: I’m so glad I did! It’s a really good movie, and there’s even Best Picture Oscar buzz for it. I’m not 100% sure I’m on that train, but it’s definitely an interesting and creative film.
RYAN: What language is it in?
CAROLINE: Good question. It takes place in India, but it’s mostly in English. There are parts of the movie in Hindi, but the sub-titles are quick and easy to read.
RYAN: Are there any famous people in it?
CAROLINE: Hardly. The lead kid is apparently on some BBC show, and I recognized another guy from “The Namesake,” but everyone else is in it is pretty much unknown. Danny Boyle even hired kids from the actual slums of Mumbai to play the main actors when they were young, and they’re so cute.
RYAN: Is it sort of a magical film?
CAROLINE: Not in a fantastical, supernatural way; but the premise is so clever and it’s such an imaginative story. It’s loosely based on a book, by the by. But the basic gist is this kid from the slums is about to win the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” when he is accused of cheating because they don’t believe anyone of his background would get all the answers right. They pause the show overnight and torture him to get him to admit to it. He insists he knew all the answers and wasn’t cheating. Then the rest of the movie is cutting back and forth between all the questions he got right and his life growing up in poverty to illustrate how he did in fact know all the answers. It’s captivating.
RYAN: It sounds so cool. How long is it?
CAROLINE: About two hours. It never felt boring or too long. It’s very touching and sweet in scenes, and sad in others. There’s a love story too, which I enjoyed, of course; but it’s largely about the lead kid and his brother and how they grew up.
RYAN: It’s such an interesting movie coming from Danny Boyle. He’s best known for “Trainspotting.”
CAROLINE: I know, right? He’s really made a wide variety of movies, from sci-fi to children’s fare to dramas to a zombie flick.
RYAN: So is this movie really emotional and intense?
CAROLINE: It’s pretty emotional. I didn’t weep, but I definitely welled up. But I also laughed out loud. It’s very charming and there’s even a touch of Bollywood at the end.
RYAN: I would love that part, I’m sure. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would definitely recommend it to the indie crowd, as well as those who are looking for something a little different. It’s one of those movies like “The Full Monty” or “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” that are relatively low budget but have huge buzz and wind up being Oscar contenders.
RYAN: I love that kind of movie.
CAROLINE: Me too. And this one is just so well done. Some scenes are shot in a very frenetic way, and I read that they often couldn’t secure permits for some of the locations so they just went in guerrilla-style and shot what they could. It makes for a very colorful, vibrant movie.