Fair warning. I'm about to be contrarian, so if you're fond of Slumdog Millionaire, stop reading now. I've just come from the theater, disappointed and even angry. Granted, I don't read reviews before I see films; they give away so much that they spoil the impact of brilliant scenes and great dialogue. So it's my own fault that I didn't know about the torture scene and the one where the kid is blinded when molten lead is poured into his eyes. Just what you need in a fairy tale, right? I was with someone I'd leaned on to come, someone who is squeamish and subject to nightmares, and there we were, experiencing vivid and disturbing imagery in considerable detail.
Beyond that, even though, as far as I can tell, there aren't many who agree with me, there's much that seriously detracts from the enjoyment of this film. I'm going to risk my emotional and artistic credibility and describe some of it.
First, it's highly derivative, a mix of The Usual Suspects police station flashbacks and Oliver Twist. Especially Oliver Twist, complete with Fagin, street urchins in great numbers, mischief and loss. Beyond that, much of its emotional power leaches from political correctness. We always root for the underdog; that's fair, and anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a sucker for a fairy tale. But there was something manipulative about this story: an unimaginably poor, dark-skinned street urchin in one of the roughest cities in India, facing down the establishment.
Despite the rhapsodic descriptions of handheld camera work that brought the slums of Mumbai live into the theater, they did not feel real. I know much of the film was shot in the city, and some of the scenes were OK. But I've been in neighborhoods like these in other countries and no matter how colorful and alive, they are sadder and more dangerous than these. Oh, and everyone had very good teeth. Not possible.
So why, on the eve of the most momentous Inauguration in the history of this country, am I complaining about a movie a couple of months old that will probably win many awards? I'm not sure. Like everyone else, I'm full of wonder at what is coming on Tuesday. It will dominate this space for some time. Today though, as we await the climax of this real story of triumph and ideals, the not-so-credible tale that is this film was a poor substitute.