When I walked into The Lyric last Wednesday night I knew I was going to see one of the most anticipated films of the year.  Among a packed house, I took my seat in the balcony, and anxiously waited for Slumdog Millionaire to begin. 

When I walked into The Lyric last Wednesday night I knew I was going to see one of the most anticipated films of the year.  Among a packed house, I took my seat in the balcony, and anxiously waited for Slumdog Millionaire to begin. 

After a boy from the slums of Mumbai appears on India’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” he is arrested by the police, who assume he has cheated his way through the show. Documenting Jamal Malik’s journey to becoming a contestant, the film consists of flashbacks that illustrate for the audience how he honestly knows each of the questions he answers correctly on the show.  Jamal is interrogated on each and every question, forcing him to dig deep into his dark, emotional past in order to prove his innocence. 

The film is set up question by question, explaining a different chapter of Jamal’s life as it progresses.  It begins illustrating the Mumbai slum, filled with violence and corruption, where he was raised.  The stories follow he and his brother throughout the Indian streets, fighting for survival, and eventually Jamal’s life-long love interest, Latika, is introduced.  Bouncing from slum to slum, the young triad encounters hardships that many Americans have a hard time fathoming. Throughout the movie, his family, his upbringing, and love pose as obstacles that Jamal must overcome in order to survive.   

Why would a boy from the Mumbai slums enter to be a contestant on a game show? Money? Fame? Ego? You will not be disappointed when the final question is answered and all of Jamal’s motives become clear.  Illuminating this young mans life, Slumdog Millionaire gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “street smarts.”

4/5 Woovies