Review: Millions (***)

MILLIONS
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): ***



Most kids can spout things like sports statistics but not Damian Cunningham
(Alexander Nathan Etel), a lad of about eight who lives with his slightly
older brother Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) in Manchester, England, the home
of arguably the most famous sports team in the world, Manchester United.
However, Damian has an encyclopedic knowledge of the saints, especially some
obscure and sort of weird ones. His obsession becomes more understandable
when you find out that his mother is dead. These guardian saints of his
come to visit him regularly, offering small nuggets of advice, becoming sort
of surrogate mothers.



One day, as Damian is curled up in one of his favorite places, a home made
of cardboard boxes beside the railroad tracks, a large bag of money drops on
him from the heavens, so he figures that it must be a gift from God. Its
actually only hundreds of thousands of British pounds, not millions, but the
film's name refers more to the good that money can do by benefiting
millions.



This sweet and heartwarming fairytale is from director Danny Boyle, whose
last picture was completely different, the adrenaline-pumping sci-fi film,
28 DAYS LATER. But, Boyle who was at our screening, explained that MILLIONS
isn't a kid's movie really, even if it features kids, is told from the kids'
perspective and is full of fantasy and imagination. This is an adult level
story that kids would like too, although the accents could confuse some.



Unlike most such English films set in its industrial heartland, the people
live, not in some rundown public housing, but in a brand new set of middle
class tract homes that, as the kids say, are "quite spacious really."
Living in this affluence presents a real problem for Damian, since he wants
to give the money to poor people, and there aren't a lot of them around.
Asking someone if they are poor turns out to be an especially bad idea on
several levels.



To complicate Damian and his brother's task of handling their mound of cash
is that it will all be completely worthless in a few days since Britain is
converting to the Euro, causing all of the existing pounds sterling to
become valueless. As these two charmers work their way into your hearts,
Frank Cottrell Boyce's script is wise enough to put just enough of a dark
side to the story -- think there might be some bad guys looking to reclaim
their lost loot? -- to cut the sweetness so that it never gets cloying.
Still, if you need your films to be literal, then this magical little movie,
full of energy and wit, might not be your cup of tea. But, if you feel like
being whimsically delighted, MILLIONS can easily become one you'll cherish.



MILLIONS runs 1:38. It is rated PG for "thematic elements, language, some
peril and mild sensuality" and would be acceptable for kids of all ages.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, March 23, 2005.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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