A Review of Slumdog Millionaire

Jeanette and I watched Slumdog Millionaire. It was her idea to see it and that is a big deal as you probably know. She doesn't like movies because she tends to get bored. I remember going with our friends in New York to see a movie and in the middle of it Jeanette breaks out her palm pilot and starts playing solitaire. But after our time in New York, Jeanette became interested in Indian culture and people so she wanted to go see Slumdog Millionaire. I wanted to see it too, but it wasn't that big of a deal. However, I would strongly recommend anyone going to see it, but it's best to see it in the movie theater. But I'll get to that in a minute.

I love a good story, and this story is really good despite some plot twists that I could see coming. It is a true feel good story about love and maintaining humanity in the face of complex and pervasive inhumanity- extreme poverty, crime, and survival of the fittest. It's the story of two orphaned brothers and a little girl who grow up in circumstances that I cannot rationally explain or really even understand so I'll just say "difficult" and leave it at that. In fact, what was so beautiful about the movie was how it showed that poverty in a way that, while it didn't sugar coat it, brought out the beauty and humanity of the people living in the Mumbai slums, with bright colors that are stunning on the big screen. "Love conquers all" can be a overused cliche in the movies, but Slumdog Millionaire says this apologetically, all the way to Bollywood dance during the credits.

This isn't a Christian movie by any means. The main characters are Muslims and Hindus, in fact, the interplay between these two religions is an important aspect of the movie. However, this movie is all about love and redemption. I think Jamal is the Christ figure here as he literally kisses the scars of his love for whom he has pursued and searched for most of his life. The story of Jesus and the church can surely be told here.