29 Going on 79

I was somewhat prepared for the slum scenes in Slumdog Millionaire after seeing Born into Brothels. But nothing really prepares you for such deplorable conditions and the added horror of seeing children in these circumstances only makes it worse. Despite the affront to my privileged American senses, the story inspires such hope and promise that it brings you to your knees. The ending is predictable even Americanized. As a lazy movie-goer, I like the departure from reality where some people really do get what they deserve - good or bad.

Jamal Malik is a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He is suspected of cheating on the show because no one believes a "slumdog" raised in the slums of Mumbai with virtually no education could advance so far on the show. He endures torture and begins to explain how his previous life experiences coincidentally helped him answer each and every question.

The soundtrack was surprisingly amazing. At first I thought I would quickly tire of the pounding music I remembered from boring old Bombay Dreams but it helped drive the story on and kept my adrenaline up during the occasional slow parts of the movie. I even liked the Bollywood scene during the credits!

Slumdog Millionaire was a great show and I think everyone else in the theater who clapped (I personally am not a movie clapper) would agree that the film deserved all of the awards it has so far received.