Millions (2005)
I wish all the creepy conservative
(supposedly) Christian moviegoers would have saved
the 400 million dollars they wasted on Mel Gibson's
snuff flick "The Passion of the Christ" and spent
the money on tickets for the hopeful, uplifting, and
religion tinged "Millions," a film of real spiritual
depth and important moral ideas.
Sadly, Fox Searchlight the company
that is distributing "Millions" in the United States
have buried the film and done absolutely nothing to
promote it. I remember when I met a rep from that
distributor in January of this year and excitedly
told him that I thought the trailer for the film really
sold it, he reacted with such obvious indifference
that I knew the movie was dead in the water. What
a sad state of affairs.
To be sure, two things really make
the film work wonderfully, Danny Boyle's perfect direction
and Alexander Nathan Etel, the main young actor in
the film playing Damien. (An odd choice since that
name immediately conjures up images of a demon spawn
for cinephiles thanks to its use in "The Omen.")
Boyle knows how direct a movie.
It doesn't matter that this film is more "family oriented"
than his previous work like "Trainspotting" and "28
Days" because the effect is still the same. There
is a real, tactile, childlike, fantastic approach
to the story here and Boyle brings out these elements
with his wonderful use of images and special effects.
(In this way it is reminiscent of "28 Days"). This
is particularly evident in the first part of the film,
where it is important to pull us into the fantasy
of the plot. Boyle draws us in like we are steel and
the film is a magnet.
As for Etel, he is a true find here.
This kid is so good that we believe every single word
that drops out of his mouth. We have no doubts when
he meets renowned and long dead Catholic saints in
the film that his fantasies are actually realities
because Etel sells them with ease. We know that these
aren't the poetic religious imaginings of a small
child but actual visitations. Etel's character, elementary
school aged Damien, is goodness and caring and giving
personified and the young Etel brings forth these
qualities realistically and in abundance in the film.
It is important that the loving and giving nature
of youth is brought forth in the film cleanly and
without question in "Millions" and Etel is perfect
in doing so. He makes this film the revelation that
it is. It is only through his sheer wonderful characterization
here that the epilogue of the film soars like a angel
on gossamer wings. Etel makes us believe in goodness
and hope and joy and love with the ease of natural
acting that only a truly wonderful child could elicit.
This is a magical performance.
To be sure, the biggest problem
with the film is the script by Frank Cottrell Boyce
which is a bit unfocused and hard to believe. But
bad scripts with good intentions are not foreign to
Boyce. Certainly he has shown to be an obtuse and
difficult scripter on his recent features for Michael
Winterbottom like "Code
46" and "24
Hour Party People." Boyce veers off on some tangents
here that make the film's third act a little too callous
and difficult. Perhaps only a sentimentalist like
myself would prefer that the characters in the film
remain good-hearted rather than become greedy, and
Boyce is certainly not trying to look at the world
with rose-colored glasses in this latter part of the
film (nor is Boyle). Luckily he is able to end the
film on exactly the perfect note and allow us sappy
romantics to have it our way.
Another big problem with the film
is its European flavor. I thought the characters here
were supposed to be Irish or Scottish or something
but apparently they are British. Perhaps it is just
the accent of the particular place in England (Manchester)
that makes it so difficult to understand them at times.
(Yes, I am an ignorant American - no nasty e- mail
please). Also adding to this problem is the plotline
which uses the recent transfer from the pound to the
Euro in England as a basis for some very important
things that happen in the plot. While this was easy
for me to understand, and many American adults could
easily get it as well (even those unfamiliar with
the situation), children might really get lost when
this important story device is mentioned in the film.
It's a shame too, because families are the perfect
audience for this wonderful film.
"Millions" is a lovely, sweet-natured
film, one that should be seen by nearly everyone in
America but will not. It's full of love and joy and
goodness and has a message that is as hopeful and
as warm as anything Frank Capra ever put on the screen.
It's a shame this film seems destine to languish in
obscurity here in the States, a real shame.
Notes:
Also with James Nesbitt and a wonderful
newcomer by the name of Lewis Owen McGibbon, who plays
the older brother here. Boyce has a cameo.
The film debuted at the Toronto
Film Festival in September 2004. It began a U.S. arthouse
run in March of 2005. For some odd reason it appears
that the film will open in the UK later than in the
U.S.
Boyle cut the film down a bit to
get a PG rating in the states.
Viewed at the Arbor in Austin in
March 2005 with my friend Johnny Oh. The Arbor (and
all Regal Theaters for that matter) have recently
instituted a policy of having their employees come
into running movies at least twice per showtime and
walk through the theater, in front of the screen,
waving about a flashlight with a red cone on it. This
is the stupidest, most asinine, most horrible thing
a movie theater has done in the name of customer service
since megaplexas have opened. When I went to this
showing, a cute, young, (probably) gay boy was selling
tickets. He was hot, so I wanted to chat him up and
I asked him if he was "going to come in and land a
plane during the movie." He smiled politely and said
he didn't think he would be the one who would be having
to do that during this particular evening. He also
told me that the policy was a "corporate thing" and
they were supposed to do it twice per showing. I told
him I had never seen it done less than three times
per show. I told him I had written a couple of complaint
letters and planned to continue to go on-line and
complain about the policy and he said, "Please do!"
I went inside and asked the guys
behind the concession counter if they were going to
"land a plane during my movie" and they said probably
not. Ushers did come into the screening twice during
the showing but they didn't have a flashlight on either
time. What a fucking relief!
Still, I beg of you: If you live
in a city where you have a choice of what theaters
to go to, please consider telling Regal that you will
go to another theater unless they change this ludicrous
policy. And if you would, please go to their website
and write them an e-mail and tell them how much you
hate this policy.
