My one movie review of the year....

I thought since we see about one movie at the theater each year (actually we saw both "Fireproof" and "Bolt" in 2008, so maybe our average will increase), I should probably blog about it.

We were able to go see a movie for my birthday, and I chose "Slumdog Millionaire" because I'd heard a few intriguing reviews and some good feedback about it. I knew I could get Dave to go because he lived in India for a year when he was 18, and I knew I would be happy because there was a love story involved.

But after seeing the movie, which did exceed my expectations, I realized there are so many other layers to the story. There were two other main themes that jumped out at me. One theme/question was- Do we really believe all things can and will work together for our good? Things that are hard or seem inconsequential at the time can really play a huge role in our lives if we let them become a part of us. Every moment of our lives helps us become who we are.

The other theme I saw was: Genius can come in unexpected packages. How many times do I dismiss someone's opinion because I think they are too young, too rich or poor, too inexperienced, or uneducated? Perhaps they really do know what they are talking about (or maybe not). But at least they deserve a chance to be heard. Appearances and background really can be deceiving.

There are other things to discuss here but giving more details would spoil the plot: Salim's relationship with Jamal, the redeeming love of Jamal for Latika and the culture and progression of India as a country over the period of this movie. The scenery was breathtaking- just seeing the pictures of the slums brought back memories of how my dad smelled (stinky) the first time he came home from a trip to India.

Rumor is this movie will win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2008. I hope it does, because I would love to see more movies like this one in the future.