I enjoyed the story and am glad when a little movie gets noticed. So much better than the overblown Benjamin Button.

Just got back from seeing this a little bit ago. I enjoyed it and thought it was a good movie. Not necessarily a great movie, but good. Maybe a 2nd viewing will change my mind.

However, I don't get why a Michael Jackson video broke out at the end...
It seemed tacked on and odd. Is this a "Bollywood" thing?

The dance number is traditional Bollywood.

Just got back from seeing it. I absolutely loved it. I loved the performances, the direction (I never thought I'd praise subtitles), and the music. I don't know how I'd rank it, but it's in my top five of the year. It was a nice contrast to other Oscar bait pics like Benjamin Button and Gran Torino...movies i liked, but never felt genuine.

The movie is amazing! No wonder it won all 4 of the awards it was nominated for at the Golden Globes. I see big things for Dev Patel. He was just so charming in the role of the "slumdog". I thought the angles that the movie was shot in were incredible. It was a great mix of all genres in the film.

Finally saw this tonight and enjoyed the hell out of it. This and Dark Knight are easily my two choices that I would love to see win Best Picture, having seen Milk, Benjamin Button, and Rachel Getting Married. Still need to see Gran Torino.

This definitely deserves all the praise. i can see why people would be quickly turned off by the gimmicky story telling and the coincidences throughout, but I bought into it all and found my self invested in the 3 main characters and their stories. Loved the dance sequence at the end as well.

Seriously, why translate it to English? Everyone would have known what he was saying if they had just left it at:

I wanted to like this film but I was very disappointed.
Once the main characters became teens, I lost interest in the film.
Too many coincidences & cliches.

Saw this over the weekend and loved it. The kids performances were really impressive. Especially compared to the kids in Gran Torino, which were pretty bad.

Then why build up the suspense of the final question?

Here are some reasons I couldn't get into this movie:

1. They're torturing this kid because he knows the answers to a game show? Does some kind of criminal organization run the show? I'm guessing this is why the movie didn't take place in America.

2. Inconsistency within the flashbacks. We see the question and then the flashback, however, some flashbacks are drawn out and others are resolved within a couple minutes. This isn't a big deal but some of the pieces didn't seem necessary.

3. Couldn't feel sympathy for the lead. The main guy is supposed to be likeable but I wasn't feeling it. He was more of a passive character. I felt more for his friend, you saw more of what was going on through his head. He was always a villain but managed to redeem himself at the end. The main guy, eh, he was more a lost puppy. Hence why I couldn't feel anything for him when he won.

4. Now I've never been to India and yes, I'm sure it's bad. And yes I'm sure there was a story about a gangster who would take kids as slaves and blind their eyes and make them sing. Let's say all that was true, I still don't buy it. It didn't feel believable in the movie.

5. One little tidbit here... Everyone in the cast is pretty ugly except for the smokin' hot lead actress. I chuckled to myself because she was so out of place. There wasn't anyone else in the movie that was even close to being as good looking as her. I know it's a cliche and uglier guys have scored hotter women but it's a cliche, nonetheless.

This movie felt too cold and distant. The kid willingly dives into shit to get a celebrity's autograph... okay that's nice and all... but the kid is covered in shit.

No sir, I didn't like it.

I actually wasn't sure if he would win, as the set up made me think he might lose the final question but get the girl.

They said during the movie that no one had gotten further then 65,000 I think? So it made sense that when some slumdog gets all the way to 10 million, and knew the answer despite the host feeding him false info, that they would be suspicious. It looked like he was taken in by the authorities, so I just assume they don't mind torturing criminals

I didn't have that much either... but still enjoyed their journey. And friend? I assume you knew they were brothers. Hopefully it was just a mistake as being family added quite a bit to it.

That never even crossed my mind, since they don't really come across that many other women in their journey.

You didn't think that was funny? Just a light hearted moment and showed how revered the actor was in India, not to mention setting up his brother's actions shortly after that becomes a pattern throughout the rest of the film.

Funny how the main character finds the answers to the questions throughout his experiences in life in the same sequential order that they are being asked in the game show.

Remember it's...Destiny.

And.....

I thought the lead actor, Patel, was pretty good looking.

That's true too.

Had it been about an American and starred Will Smith, everyone would be talking about how sappy it is.

I just can't seem to work up any excitement to see this...maybe it's the india setting... not sure. Did anyone go in with minimal interest and come out loving it?

Well, I figured from the positive reviews that it wasn't going to be terrible, but I wasn't sure what the big deal was. I think more than anything it is the pacing of the film that works the best, along with painting a picture of the country our hero grew up in. The lengths of scenes are just enough. You don't feel like the movie ever wanders. The script is also very strong, and not in the sense that's there's great speeches and what not, but what needs to be said and the looks people give each other says everything that really needs to be said.

I lived in Mumbai for a few months in the mid 90s, and sadly, things like that did actually happen. In fact, according to this article, things like that are still happening.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...en-profit.html

I just saw this yesterday, and I think this movie was absolutely brilliant, easily the best movie I have seen since "There Will Be Blood". Yes, it is contrived in many places, but it also shows a very authentic picture, imo, of what India is like.

I've seen some of the other "Best Picture" contenders, there's no comparison, this movie is going to sweep the Oscars.

So I finally got around to seeing an early show today (thanks $6 pre-noon shows!), and I had been dreading that I'd end up shitting all over it for being overrated and wondering what kind of crack everyone was smoking.

In the end, wow. Words can't really describe my reaction to this one. It reminded me a lot of City of God and O Lucky Man! with shades of early Scorsese. Much like The Wrestler it's emotional without manipulation, and I can gladly say I could have cried at the end had I been in a bad mood (much like that). I didn't check my phone once for the time. I hope Dev Patel gets more roles in the future. In short, I haven't seen a movie that made me feel as good, in spite of the turmoil of the plot, since The Shawshank Redemption, which is my favorite movie of all time. Bravo.

I think I'd rank Dark Knight and The Wrestler ahead of it, but if this doesn't win Best Picture and Director, the people who would drive it to lose have no hearts. An absolute must see, and one of the best of the decade.

I finally saw it today as well. It is certanly overrated. Its a very good film but still, its overrated. I hope like hell this doesn't win Best Picture. Milk and Benjamin Button were much better(And I have not yet seen the reader.) I liked Boyle's 28 Days Later and A Life Less Ordinary more than this one. Still theres not many faults in this it just wasnt as emotionally involving like many other films were to me this year like Benjamin Button, Snow Angels and possibly even Synecdoche, NY. Dont really even understand all the hype for this but cant complain about it ether since it is very good.

Just got back from seeing it.... its a great movie. Suprisingly better than i expected but it isnt the best film of the year.

It doesnt beat the Dark knight but that big boy isnt in the contest.... 1 down, several oscar contenders to watch...

After watching it last night, I thought that it was a great movie. I loved how Boyle was making a social commentary about India just by simply following the lives of Jamal, Salim and Latika. And I loved the dance number at the end.

I might have posted in this thread previously, but an Indian guy reviewed it on AICN and he said that "it is written" is more than just destiny. The way he explained it, you have to actively seek out and live up to something that is written, it's like your goal in life, you haven't fulfilled the most of your potential if you can't, won't, or don't achieve what is written.

I think that's pretty cool, and it makes the movie seem a little less sappy when it's not just like "it was fated, the stars say so" and it's more like a quest to achieve what you feel you're meant to do. It makes Jamal a more active participant in his destiny, and it also sort of explains why he's so dedicated to Latika no matter what happens to deter him from his course.

Yes .... but it's not about an American, and I would suggest that if you think the plotline could be switched to any place but India, then perhaps you're missing some of the wonderful aspects of this movie that make it so special. The concept of "it is written" drives our main character, and provides the context and the magic, and the reflection of India's attitudes and social strata add a level of insight and understanding that we don't usually see.

It's probably because it is so rooted in Mumbai (not Memphis or Minneapolis or Moline) and so filled with truths that the film critics in India gave basically rave reviews to this when it opened there on Fiday.