The trailer for Danny Boyle’s festival-pleasing “Slumdog Millionaire” is finally online and with almost no time to spare. The film comes out November 12 and it’s been a bit of a rush job. The trailer isn’t spectacular, the poster is a poorly designed eye-sore that looks like a comp of something we made in 1995, BUT, the film is fantastic. Mark our words. Like many other critics who saw it at Telluride or the Toronto Film Festival, we pretty much adored the fast-moving and electrically vibrant love story that spans about 10-years-plus. There’s a reason why there’s so much universal love for this film – it’s very winning and pleasing in a way that never stoops to pander. It makes one smile in the most life-affirming genuine ways. We can’t say enough good things about it.
Set in the slums of Mumbai, India with no stars, the film is a bit of a hard sell to North American audiences, but just look out on the web, the film is unanimously adored and with any luck, Fox Searchlight could have a Best Picture Nomination on their hands – it’s that good and that deserving. Dev Patel is great, the children in the film you just want to adopt and take home on the spot, they’re so amazing and the love interest in the film, Freida Pinto is just drop-dead gorgeous. Irrfan Khan from “The Darjeeling Limited” is also in the film as a cop, who doesn’t believe who the protagonist won the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” challenge and assumes he cheated (after all, he’s only a slumboy).
A.R. Rahman’s score is brilliant too and there’s a musical moment at the end that we won’t give away that will have you grinning from ear-to-ear at the end. Oh yeah, and of course M.I.A’s “Paper Planes,” pretty much the movie song of the year is featured in the movie too. One could think, “hey, ‘Pineapple Express’ did that first!,” but knowing the British Boyle, he was rockin Kala way before the Apatow/DGG crowd was (no offense). If for whatever reason the trailer doesn’t do it for you (it doesn’t quite capture the vim, spark and thrills the film delivers), give this movie a shot anyhow. Trust us. Hopefully, it’s wonderful tone forces people to give Boyle’s “Millions” another shot — his kid’s film from 2004 that was equally joyous and alive.
The first song in the trailer is the The Ting Tings’ “Great DJ” and the second, Sigur Ros’ “Hoppipolla” from their album 2005 album Taak. “Slumdog Millionaire” opens in limited release on November 12 and then expands each week after that slowly rolling out into new markets. /Film has a good run-down of its expansion plans, plus a there’s a bunch of free screenings across the U.S. that everyone should take advantage of.