Who wants to be a Slumdog Millionaire?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
FINAL ANSWER? Dev Patel as Jamal Malik (left) and Anil Kapoor
Few movie franchises can match the global success or irresistible watchability of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” which, according to the BBC News, has been broadcast as various versions of itself in more than 100 countries. No matter how little you care about quiz shows, if a few minutes of “Millionaire” catch your eye, you’ll quickly find yourself completely sucked in, screaming answers or instructions like “Phone a friend!” at the television.
The shameless melodrama Slumdog Millionaire uses the worldwide familiarity with the game show’s rituals to seize the audience’s attention. Slumdog, directed by English filmmaker Danny Boyle, takes place in India, so hapless young contestant Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) plays for rupees, not dollars, but the conventions prove completely the same. On the space age set, amid the dramatic sound effects and goaded by the bullying host (Anil Kapoor), Jamal looks like a deer in the stage lights. (more…)
