Holiday Movie Reviews

"Slumdog Millionaire" : A- (Great movie!)

First let me get this out of the way: This is a smart, touching, enthralling, one heck of a movie. OK, now I can nitpick.

Three central characters of "Slumdog" are each played by three different actors/actresses. In a parallel pattern, the movie seems to go through three different personalities as well. Following the young children through a series of fable-like adventures, the first third of the movie sizzles with an astonishingly vibrant depicton of the Mumbai slums. As the children leap into early teens, the story takes a harsh turn into darker, occasionally extreme territories. The final segment lightens up considerably, eventually slipping into the sappy cliches of a Hollywood love story. The only unfortunate effect of this trilogy of a structure? After such a strong setup, the final conclusion comes off as a slight let-down.