Review of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) by Zekeb. — 12 Nov 2008

I just got back from a screening of Slumdog Millionaire, and I'm crazed with critical hyperbole. You should definitely see it, but, unlike every other review I've read, I have some issues: To paraphrase, and update, an old Rodney Dangerfield joke, look up "deus ex machina" in an online dictionary, and you'll find a link to "Slumdog Millionaire".

It's a thrilling fast-paced hipster version of Forrest Gump,but it's still Forrest Gump, with an Indian accent( dot, not feather.) Not one of its hero's successes are hard fought or earned; they come from insanely implausible coincedence.

It's deliriously goofy, and compelling, but those critics comparing it to Dickens because of a little Faginesque behavior ought to re-examine the careful way old Chaz constructs his plot contrivances.

And the fact that Water, a much more heartbreaking India-based film, got slammed for artifice a year ago just goes to show how a good PR campaign can still spin wonders. All that said, it stands a great shot at a Best Screenplay and Best Picture nomination; it's Rocky directed by a guy with the street cred of Quentin Tarantino.

It could be this year's giant success, unless some journalist debunks the entire "based on a true story" concept.