I agree the editing was superb as the often tragic events of the past meshed well with the game show and lost love storylines. In many ways the movie reminded me of Life is Beautiful. The protagonist tries crazy things to win the girl, family members save loved ones from doom via self-sacrifice, etc. I really liked Slumdog, but the funny parts didn't make me laugh, nor did the tragic parts make my eyes water, as much they did in Life is Beautiful (which is easily in my top 50 films ever... maybe even in my top 20).
But after giving it some more thought, I guess what Slumdog most reminds me of is the Cheers episode where Cliff was on Jeopardy with how all the questions tie in perfectly with the character (1:00-1:15 of this clip). What if a contestant goes on a popular game show and all the questions synced up with that character's experiences? I didn't know much about the story before seeing the film, but as soon as I saw this was how the entire story was going to be tied together, the movie lost a little of its mystique. Again, the movie was well put together and I really enjoyed it, but if there's going to be an "AHA!" moment, I prefer it to be later in the movie instead of so early.
The only thing that really puzzled me was (Spolier alert!) why Salim buried himself in a tub full of money for his shootout with the gang boss. He could've taken the money and fled, but I can accept that he decided to finish off another crime boss so that Latika wouldn't have to worry about him. But why the tub full of money? I'm guessing it was to suggest that the only ways to make it out of slums was with luck on a game show or a life of crime, but that point would've been pretty obvious without the cash bath.
If you've seen the film, feel free to comment on anything. I always enjoy a good movie discussion. And, for something completely different, I just wanted to share this fun Jeopardy clip that I came across while looking for the Cheers one. Jai ho!
Great movie- my take on Salim and the Money thing, was that the money was basically the reason he ended up being in the bad situation/ situations he was in. He was always doing things just for money, even when they were kids, selling Jamal's autograph, etc.. and it basically cost him his life, as he did not have much of a life just being that guys thug. Jamal went on the game show not for money, but to try and reach Latika. I think Salim realized he had put money as his #1 priority in life, vs family, and he realized he was wrong. Either way good movie. I will have to check out the other movie you mentioned.
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