Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Millions (2004)
Director: Danny Boyle
Scroll Down For: Being Julia & Million Dollar Baby
See January for:
Closer
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Finding Neverland
The Aviator
See February for:
Male and Female
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Love
Sunrise
Ray
* Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
Millions is in the same category of film making as Finding Neverland, a charming story about children told for adults and kids alike. However, with the magic of Finding Neverland still fresh in my mind, I must say Millions is a less charming, less successful attempt.
This is a film where the set-up is the most intriguing and enjoyable portion of the film. Two little boys and their dad have just moved to a new home and the boys are attending a new school. There mother has recently died and they are starting over. The younger boy, Damian, an innocent, earnest, lovable character, has a bag of money drop out of the sky (literally) onto his cardboard playhouse by the side of the railroad tracks. He takes it home and shares the story (and the money) with only his older brother, Anthony. Anthony is aware that the money is only good for one week because on New Year’s Day England is switching to the Euro, and Pounds will be worthless.
The most fun part of the film is the inter-play between the brothers who have very different ideas about how to use the money. Damian, who is obsessed with the lives of the saints, thinks the money came from god and he should do good with it. He has no shortage of good-deed ideas as he is visited frequently by saintly visions. Damian is charming rattling off information about St. Francis of Assisi (and many other saints), like other 6-year-old boys can rattle off information about airplanes or jungle animals. This obsession is both entertaining and heart-breakingly sweet as we discover his interest in the saints is a means to stay connected with his dead mother. He asked each saint who visits if they have met a St. Gwen (his mum). “She’s new you know,” he explains when they do not know her. A beautiful touch.
Anthony, by contrast, is financially precocious and materialistic. He uses the money to buy state of the art cell phones for himself and his brother, looks at a flashy condo as an investment vehicle and pays his classmates to be his personal valets, which means they drive him on their bikes and carry his school bag. Meanwhile he is infuriated with Damian for spending money taking all the homeless kids in town out to a pizza place for dinner and stuffing the Mormon’s mailbox full of cash when they say they are poor.
Two-thirds of the way through the charm runs thin and the story runs thinner. It is an extremely long run to the end from the moment the dad finds out about the money. There is the bad guy who, of course, comes looking for his stolen loot. A love interest for dad. A shopping spree.
In the climatic scene Damian burns what is left of the money as the police catch the bad guy in the family’s home. Damian also is visted by his mother who tells him not to worry, she is a Saint. And the closing tear-filled moment has Damian asking his mother what her miracle was: “Don’t you know? It was you,” she explains.
Dry your eyes. Roll credits.
Should you see it? Nah, go with Finding Neverland for a superior heart-warming kid’s story.
Scroll Down For: Being Julia & Million Dollar Baby
See January for:
Closer
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Finding Neverland
The Aviator
See February for:
Male and Female
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Love
Sunrise
Ray
* Warning the following analysis contains a discussion of the entire film – including the ending.
Millions is in the same category of film making as Finding Neverland, a charming story about children told for adults and kids alike. However, with the magic of Finding Neverland still fresh in my mind, I must say Millions is a less charming, less successful attempt.
This is a film where the set-up is the most intriguing and enjoyable portion of the film. Two little boys and their dad have just moved to a new home and the boys are attending a new school. There mother has recently died and they are starting over. The younger boy, Damian, an innocent, earnest, lovable character, has a bag of money drop out of the sky (literally) onto his cardboard playhouse by the side of the railroad tracks. He takes it home and shares the story (and the money) with only his older brother, Anthony. Anthony is aware that the money is only good for one week because on New Year’s Day England is switching to the Euro, and Pounds will be worthless.
The most fun part of the film is the inter-play between the brothers who have very different ideas about how to use the money. Damian, who is obsessed with the lives of the saints, thinks the money came from god and he should do good with it. He has no shortage of good-deed ideas as he is visited frequently by saintly visions. Damian is charming rattling off information about St. Francis of Assisi (and many other saints), like other 6-year-old boys can rattle off information about airplanes or jungle animals. This obsession is both entertaining and heart-breakingly sweet as we discover his interest in the saints is a means to stay connected with his dead mother. He asked each saint who visits if they have met a St. Gwen (his mum). “She’s new you know,” he explains when they do not know her. A beautiful touch.
Anthony, by contrast, is financially precocious and materialistic. He uses the money to buy state of the art cell phones for himself and his brother, looks at a flashy condo as an investment vehicle and pays his classmates to be his personal valets, which means they drive him on their bikes and carry his school bag. Meanwhile he is infuriated with Damian for spending money taking all the homeless kids in town out to a pizza place for dinner and stuffing the Mormon’s mailbox full of cash when they say they are poor.
Two-thirds of the way through the charm runs thin and the story runs thinner. It is an extremely long run to the end from the moment the dad finds out about the money. There is the bad guy who, of course, comes looking for his stolen loot. A love interest for dad. A shopping spree.
In the climatic scene Damian burns what is left of the money as the police catch the bad guy in the family’s home. Damian also is visted by his mother who tells him not to worry, she is a Saint. And the closing tear-filled moment has Damian asking his mother what her miracle was: “Don’t you know? It was you,” she explains.
Dry your eyes. Roll credits.
Should you see it? Nah, go with Finding Neverland for a superior heart-warming kid’s story.
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