Review: Slumdog Millionaire

It is Written

Few films in 2008 have received as much acclaim as Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionare. From the Golden Globes to the Oscars, critics have near unendingly praised the film and its portrayal of Indian culture. I will admit that the film is very good and without a doubt one of the best of 2008. However, Slumdog is not half as intellectual and thought-provoking as its proponents make it out to be. It’s not a film that harbors deep, cerebral ideas and observations; more than anything it’s a children’s story for adults. It is my personal belief that a lot of people are trying to make Slumdog out to be something that it wasn’t meant to be and that the film has received a disproportionate amount of criticism as well as inaccurate praise because of it.

Slumdog Millionare follows the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a street child turned call centre assistant from the Dharavi slums. The film opens with Jamal being interrogated by police after having been suspected of cheating on India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He has made it to the last question, scheduled for the next day, but since he is an orphan who spent much of his life on the streets, it seems very unlikely that Jamal could have known all of the answers. However, Jamal attempts to convince the police inspector otherwise by showing that he knew the answers because of experiences he had growing up in the slums, hence the title.

The majority of the film’s story is told through flashbacks Jamal has as he talks to the inspector, working his way through the questions he was asked on the show. The real meat of the tale however, is the romance story between Jamal and Latika, a girl he met as a child. Encountering her at different points in his life, their stories intertwine as the plot moves forward towards its inevitable climax.

As I mentioned before, Slumdog epitomizes the idea of a children’s story for adults. The story is simple to follow, the characters all have clear motivations and while it does portray fairly sordid events, it manages to remain upbeat and optimistic. This format does unfortunately limit the film in a number of ways. Foremost, it prevents Slumdog from raising a good deal of the important issues that pertain to its story. On the other hand, this was almost surely an aim of the filmmakers as opposed to an unintentional flaw. Many have praised the film for its rich portrayal of Indian culture. However, they seem to be ignoring the fact that if Slumdog is to be viewed as an accurate depiction of the country, then India must be the most poverty stricken, corrupt and morally bankrupt nation in the world. This is not the case, obviously, and Slumdog bypasses dealing with the responsibilities of portraying a country in such a low light by presenting itself, not as a social commentary, but as an exaggerated story.

Another consequence of Slumdog’s format is the one dimensional characters; or more accurately, the caricatures. The film’s characters, while delivering solid, emotional performances, are written about as dynamic as cardboard cutouts. But again, it enhances the style rather than detracts from the film. The simple nature of the characters’ motivations and personalities provide the filmmakers to concentrate on the emotions and visual appeal of each scene rather than devoting their time to the crafting of deep and complex characters. This isn’t necessarily a shortcoming, just a different approach in filmmaking style.

And the scenes are indeed beautifully crafted. The cinematography and directing are nearly flawless. Every shot is a visual feast, noticeably crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail. While this does come at the expense of the complexity and depth of the narrative, the story still manages to support the visual aspects and the result is a stronger narrative overall.

Overall, Slumdog is a strong, solid film. It’s emotional, fun and entertaining. The cast delivers solid performances and the directing is impeccable. However, regardless of what many of its supporters spout, Slumdog Millionare has all the depth and dynamics of a puddle. It’s simple, entertaining and definitely a film that deserves much of the acclaim it has garnered. Unfortunately, Slumdog seems destined to be a film that gets appreciated for all the wrong reasons. It’s certainly regrettable, as much effort has obviously been put in to give Slumdog the appeal it has. But perhaps it’s best to just enjoy the film for its own merits and be content that it’s a critical and commercial success, whatever the reasons.