Unbelievable!

I am lost for words. How an average film like Slumdog Millionaire can sweep eight Oscars is beyond me. A case of Emporer’s new clothes, perhaps? Whatever, it kind of makes one want to reconsider seeking employment in the field of scriptwriting.

slumdog millionaire

A “feel good” movie…Well, apart from the obvious comment that your first chance of escaping the slums ends with being hung by the arms, beaten senseless and having a car battery clipped to your toes isn’t exactly what I would suggest as a way to make you feel good, there are other things to consider, namely, not why this is seen as a feel good movie but why it is being considered a good movie. All credit to the actors who do a great job and to the scenery which helps the film but the script and the plot are nothing out of the ordinary, nor are they good examples of the genre. The main plot is, ultimately, a tired, two-a-penny love story that has been repeated many times in cinema and has been accomplished with much more affect than in this film. The bad boy brother who finally redeems himself with self sacrifice thrown in, all a bit hackneyed. The final “phone-a-friend” contrivance was so painfully predictable I considered asking the cinema for a refund.

The whole concept that each answer was known by the main character because of experiences in his life was pushed too far to be realistic. Why, for instance, would having a Colt revolver pointed at him by his brother furnish him with the knowledge that Samual Colt was the inventer of the revolver? (They don’t print it on the barrel!) The fact that Samual Colt wasn’t, strictly, the inventor more the man who put the revolver concept into some form of mass production is overlooked. No, I can not understand the hype this film has generated nor the awards it has received.

It is a sad reflection on audience expectations.