The First Movie I Watched in 2009


When Slumdog Millionaire started getting press and awards, I was dubious. How could a movie about a kid on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” trying to find his destined love be all that special?

After spending 2 hours with that kid, I know why his story makes such a special film. It’s a modern fairy tale, possibly the only true modern fairy tale I’ve seen in years.
That’s a lot for a cynic like me to say. Coming out of the movie, the first thing I said was, “That was great, but why did he love her? He barely knew her.” And Nancy replied, “There doesn’t have to be a reason. They were destined to be with one another. It’s like a fairy tale.”
And she’s right. The movie isn’t all that plausible, but it doesn’t have to be. The story it tells–which goes far above and beyond the love story that drives the young man–is strong enough to hold its own weight. You see the word “slumdog” and maybe you think of a poor area, a poor kid. You have no idea what poverty means until you see this movie, see what poverty–and the idea of riches–drives people to do.
Thus, I leave you with this question that you’ll understand better after seeing the second scene of the movie: Is there any celebrity for whom you’d be willing to jump into poop to meet in person?

0 thoughts on “The First Movie I Watched in 2009”

  1. For those of you who see Slumdog to better understand poverty in India per Jamey’s recommendation, I suggest following that up with a viewing of City of God–fewer humorous parts, but another good look at poverty outside the US.

    -T

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  2. I just saw this on Friday and agree with everything you said, except that there have been no other excellent fairy tales recently. Pan’s Labyrinth comes immediately to mind.

    Reply

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