Slumdog Worth a Million?

Recently, a little movie called Slumdog Millionaire began making big waves among moviegoers.

It's being hailed as this year's Best Picture. And, I would bet my money on it winning, because people seem to like to decide which movie is BP without even seeing more than, say, two of the nominees. Now, I wouldn't go as far as saying Slumdog is BS instead of BP, but.. I don't think it's quite up to snuff. I know I don't want to see it again, and won't remember it in 20 years.

It's the story of a young man who is on India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and is doing really well. The host, and others involved with the show think something is fishy since the young man is from a lower economic class. How can a poor guy know all of the answers?

So a local police man questions him, and we hear the stories behind how Jamal (as he is called) came to know the answers.

Along the way, we see Jamal's brother Salim, who heads down the wrong path, as well as a girlfriend, named Latika. They first meet when Jamal invites her into his hiding place to take shelter from the rain. Throughout the movie, Jamal and Latika are bonded through a sort of de facto friendship. They have no one else. Salim ends up the sibling who took the low road. Trust me, you don't have to go to India to see that.

I agree that this movie is well done, considering the subject matter. I was entertained, but I kept waiting for the profound moment, the big turn in the movie. It never came. I had heard of people crying for hours after seeing this movie, and I just do not understand that.

We have poverty HERE. We have a class sytem HERE. So why is it so profound that these kids on the streets of India have it tough? Were some people unaware that these circumstances exist in other countries, as well as our own?

Now, I have an open mind about this. I would love to hear why people are going gaga over this movie, because I just do not understand. It was okay.. The whole "blind kids get more money" thing was very sad. I always appreciate movies that open our eyes to conditions we might not think of otherwise.

But that exact concept will lead me to my next blog, on what I believe should be this year's Best Picture: Milk, starring Sean Penn.

Do you believe Slumdog is hands down, BP? Tell me why. Have you seen all 5 BP contenders? How do they compare?