Slumdog Millionaire

I saw this movie on the BYU campus this past weekend. I never even knew that BYU did an international film cinema. The cool thing about this movie being at BYU campus is that it was edited so that it really wasn't an R rated movie. I am not saying that all R rated movies are bad, because the rating doesn't mean it is a horrible movie. I do, however, limit myself when it comes to R rated movies because I do feel they often contain crap that they do not need to contain. I have also been told by my church leaders to avoid R rated movies because of the content and I actually agree with them. I don't see it as a restraint but rather as a protection. I really don't know why I am getting into the rating scale in this post. Maybe because I know that watching R rated movies in the Mormon world is taboo and I wanted to make sure I was not judged for watching this movie.

Now, what about the movie? It was plain fantastic. It takes place in India, and follows the journey of a young boy into young adulthood. The cool thing is that you learn of the boy's journey via the answers he gives during the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" I thought that, in and of itself, was a brilliantly creative way to show the adventures of this young man.

Slumdog Millionaire proves to be mix of many different genres. You have the drama of family relationships and how siblings can shape you into who you are. You also have the family drama of two boys losing their parents at a very young age and having to fend for themselves. Then you have a bit of comedy as you see the boys fighting and the main character has this odd dry humor about him. You also get a little bit of romance as you see the main character fight for the love of his life, who he decided was his great love when he was about seven.

I love how the characters were developed, especially the two orphan brothers who develop into very different individuals and how you see how decisions shape people's destinies. In fact, it was very symbolic how the main character is able to find riches and his brother chases other people's riches which later leads him to his demise.

I would recommend this movie for sure to anybody! It receives a bundle of wheat for my rating because it really adds sustenance to the soul!