File under: Unsolicited Opinions

A few months ago, Jessica Simpson made headlines when her straight-to-video release, Major Movie Star, opened at Number 1 in the Russian box office. It had been widely panned and laughed at (not in a good way) here; but across the pond, something apparently got found in translation.

On Friday, my mom and I saw Slumdog Millionaire. And I can't help but wonder if this is some Bollywood version of that scenario - because it is so revered over here for reasons that truly escape me. I know I am (deep) in the minority, but I didn't get it. I got the storyline (farfetched as I thought it was) and I appreciated the scenery, the storytelling, the triumph - but it all fell a little flat to me and, in the end, I just don't get the hype.

In all fairness, I had no idea it was going to be so violent. I generally avoid violent movies, even Oscar-winning ones, because I know, no matter how good the story is, I won't appreciate it if I'm sitting there with my fists clenched, my eyes closed. And that's basically what I did here. But unlike some other movies that may have blood and gore or suspense, where I've basically peeked through my fingers because, much as I don't want to see it, I can't bear to miss the action, here, I really didn't care - I spent the whole movie kind of waiting for it to be over.

For all the violence, I felt there was very little character development. I sympathized with Jamal but never understood the connection between him and Latika, nor the deviation, and ultimate redemption, of his brother. If you're going to threaten the lead characters, fine - but make me care about them first. None, in my opinion, were particularly relatable. Do I think the evolution from Bombay to Mumbai is important and interesting? Absolutely. So please give me some history along with the horror.

I realize I am in the minority here - the movie has been highly acclaimed and nominated for numerous awards. More than that, everyone else I know luuurrved it. And that's why I saw it. I trust my friend's opinions, and generally like highly acclaimed, nominated films, myself. I sat there trying to convince myself I liked it - save for the gratuitous violence - but the more I thought about it after the fact, the more I realized... I didn't. Eh.

It wasn't until 24 hours later, as I sat in another theater watching Milk, that I realized how much of an "eh" Slumdog really was. From the very first scene I got caught up in the energy and Sean Penn's affect and James Franco's smile and thought to myself, I don't want this to end.

Oh my God. It was so good. I don't have the words to describe how good it was, or how I inhaled every single scene like it was a gulp of fresh air or a cup of strong coffee; how every character was nuanced and imperfect and sympathetic and important; how, before it was even over, it left me missing the movie, craving the energy and scenery and dialogue, wanting to see it all over again.

As we left the theater, hearts heavy but full, my mom said aloud what I had been thinking: Milk was a million times better than Slumdog Millionaire. I may be in the minority, but I'm also not alone.