Review of Millions (2005) by Daria Z — 28 Aug 2007

What would you do if a gym bag full of cash literally drops in front of you? 7-year-old Damian and his big brother Anthony are faced with this delightful dilemma in this clever and imaginative story of innocence and ethical values. Little Damian wants to give away the money to the poor believing that the bag of money was a gift from God, though the older Anthony has more practical ambitions for the cash, and being charitable is definitely not one of them.

There is an obvious sense of brilliance in the way this film touches one's heart. A film that deals so sensitively with a child's reaction to the death of a parent is really commendable, and if added with a unique sense of spirituality that is not entirely reverent, but not being condescending either, is absolutely remarkable.

This, actually, is an old film from around a couple of years back and I still remember how amazed I was by the way my son, Dustin, took it in. It seems that there are a lot of untaught values that are inherent in a young child, and having a spirit of charity, I realize, is definitely one of them. I recall him remarking that he would have given some of the money to the homeless before returning it to the authorities.