Review of Millions (2005) by John A — 18 Aug 2008

It's December, and by the New Year Britain will have switched currency to the Euro, rendering any leftover cash utterly useless. Quite a problem then for seven year old Damian, who is left with over a quarter of a million pounds after a mystery bag falls from the sky into his back garden den.

'Millions' is a surprisingly funny, smart and heart-warming family-film from director Danny Boyle, and a long way off the director's previous works of hard-drug use or gruesome zombies. The direction is pitch-perfect, drawing lines between drama and comedy with surprising ease to create this touching and unique fable that teaches a sensible lesson without ever pushing us into forced agreement.

With only twelve days to go, Damian and his older brother, Anthony, set about getting rid of this vast amount of money, purchasing the latest games, phones and clothes plus a few amusing perks. Having recently lost their mother, the lads' dad fails to pick up on his son's unusual behaviour until Damian drops £1000 into the schools charity bin; it kick-starts a chain of events in which he is determined to help those more in need of the cash.

The two younger actors are extremely impressive; Alex Etel shows plenty of promise as Damian, the audience admiring his innocence and naivety while aware of the dangers it poses, especially when a stranger arrives in town looking for a bag of stolen money. To see how a young boy reacts to the powers of money in modern society, and to watch how he would free-willingly hand it to others and experience pleasure from doing so provides a startlingly affecting role model, neither a patronising nor preachy one; it's hard to disagree with much of the lads logic.

Damian's obsession with Saints provides the backbone of his search to help the poor, who are surprisingly sparse where he lives. He ponders over his mother and where she would be now, and wondering if she too, is a saint. The boy discovers more discreet or unorthodox ways of doing good, providing several of the film's quirky and humorous moments.

'Millions' is a clever little tale about the state of our consumerist society, but also as a poignant drama on how a young boy deals with the loss of his mother. The bouncy score and endless imaginative style of the film almost transports us back to our own childhood games and quests, where everything seemed a lot less daunting, or imposing. The film doesn't exactly exist in reality, but an enchanting parallel world where the morality tales are easily carried over, and where the message is no lessening, or real.