Millonarios

Too few films are able to capture the innocence and wonder of childhood. This film is one that does so with relative ease. Most filmmakers are too cynical to capture the amazement by which children see life. Danny Boyle, much like Steven Spielberg in "E.T.", has done so in this film. "Millions" is not very similar to "E.T.", other than that it involves young children in extraordinary circumstances. "Millions" is much deeper and more provocative than "E.T." It covers a whole slew of topics: ethics, boyhood, loss, faith, greed. One of the main themes of the film seems to me to be the loss of a parent. This film very deftly handles the boys reaction to their mother's death. At times, the boys seem almost flippant in regard to her death, as when they use her death to gain sympathy from adults. In reality, they are either running from it, as in Anthony's case, or running to it, as in Damiens case. Neither boys are quite sure what her death means, and how to deal with it. Their reactions to the money symbolize their reactions to their loss. Anthony tries to forget it and wash it away with stuff. Damien tries to find his mother, who he sees as the greatest saint, by becoming a saint himself. Both boys are unrealistic in their goals, and both boys come to some type of terms with her death. This film deals with serious issues, but it deals with them in a very lighthearted, child-like way. Boyle has to be one of the most inventive visual directors. Many directors use frenetic pacing and quick editing to their detriment. Their films are nothing more than a long music video. Boyle uses these techniques with flair and restraint. Like Spielberg, he knows how to dazzle and delight. The boy actors in this film are very good. Or I should say Boyle uses the actors with a master touch. These are two very strong performances. Each of them is cute, but their performances are much deeper than their adorableness. This is a very good film. I hope more people watch it.

Millions reinforces the fact that Danny Boyle cannot be pigeonholed as a director. One does not expect to see the director of acclaimed drug abuse and zombie movies come out with such wholesome entertainment. Though this is accessible for the family, do not let that mislead you into thinking the movie does not have weight. The sincerity of this film saves it from becoming too lovey, and Boyle's personal connection with Manchester certainly adds to the depth of the environment. The story is told from the children's' point of view, bright with color, and those children give extraordinary performances. The use of stop-motion and accelerated exposures is characteristic of a style Boyle enjoys, and it accents the scenes where it is employed well. I highly recommend this film, and only wish it had been released for the past holiday season.

I saw this as part of the London Film Festival and loved it.

The story was very well told through the eyes of the two pre-teens and the usual sibling rivalry you would expect in real life was present. James Nesbitt was very good in the roll of the boys father although his 'northern' accent was a little strange, and its always nice to see Daisy Donovan in anything

Once the film ended the audience must have applauded for about 5 minutes, something I have not witnessed for some years now.

See this film, tell your friends to see it and go again with them. (There is also a Clash song used in the soundtrack which is always a good sign)

This magical, phantasmagorial feel-good movie really ought not to work but it does, and beautifully. It's certainly Danny Boyle's best film since "Trainspotting". Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon are the children whose discovery of a bag of money from a, not the, great train robbery has a somewhat traumatic effect on their somewhat humdrum lives. At first it's a case of spend, spend, spend, certainly by the older boy, Anthony, or give, give, give in the case of Damian, the younger one whose sleeping and waking moments are filled with visions of the saints. Their foolhardy behaviour soon draws the attention of both the authorities and one of the villains and their problems are further exacerbated by the fact that they only have a few days to get rid of the lolly before Britain converts to the Euro.

This is a sweet movie but it isn't a cloying one. At its centre is a truly wonderful performance from Alex Etel as Damian, acting as if he believed every minute of it, (and banishing our doubts in the process). It helps, too, that the film has a very solid script by Frank Cottrell Boyce that blends fantasy and realism so seamlessly. It's funny and it's moving and the old chestnut of the dead mother paying one last visit to her children is handled without sentimentality. A credit to all concerned.

Tonight's screening of Danny Boyle's Millions at the Toronto International Film Festival was the film's world premiere. Boyle was in attendance along with the two young stars of the film, and he introduced what obviously is a project that he feels very dear about.

Two young brothers in Manchester come across a gym bag overflowing with cash, British pounds, days before the bank of England switches over to the Euro.

Damian (Alex Etel) is a young philanthropist who spends his time learning (and daydreaming) about the saints. He believes the money, which seems to have fallen from the heavens, is a gift from God and wants to use the money to help the poor, while his older brother Anthony (Lewis McGibbon) is a hot-blooded capitalist who is already thinking of exchange rates, inflation, and the cost of property. He uses the money to buy the affection of his new classmates.

There are obvious parallels to be drawn with Boyle's first film Shallow Grave, (reviewed here) which also tells the story of a group of friends who find a mysterious surplus of cash, and the morals of what to do with it.

Millions, however, is like a feel-good retelling of Shallow Grave through the eyes of children. It's sweet without being saccharine, and it's altogether enjoyable. I was incredibly refreshed to see a movie with a situation like this not make the characters look bad for wanting to keep money that isn't theirs. This isn't a film that chastises the greedy or denounces the almighty dollar; it's one that celebrates the chance to make a difference in one's own life, and the lives of others.

I particularly enjoyed the fantasy elements in which Damian seeks advice from various saints who appear to him in visions that blur the line between imagination and spiritual visitation.

Screened in the gorgeously ornate Elgin theatre, the film garnered a standing ovation, which may only have been for the benefit the two young stars of the film, but I couldn't help but get a little emotional to see the two of them, standing beside their director and surrounded by audience members, cry at the outburst of love and applause from a room full of strangers after such a tender and affectionate movie.