"That's a nice-a donut."

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Millions (2005)

Danny Boyle rocked the independent film world with his first pair of feature films, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, but then hit a wall with the disappointments of A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach. He was back big time though with a very solid take on the zombie genre with 28 Days Later. What do all of these movies have in common? They are all very adult films, each given the restricted R-ratings in the U.S. So it was a bit of a surprise when his followup feature was Millions, a very family-oriented whimsical tale about a pair of British kids who find a large stash of money and must wrestle with the ethical burden of what to do with it all.

One day young Damian (Alex Etel), who often wonders around his new neighborhood in the suburbs with no cares in the world, looks up from a daydream to find a large duffle bag next to him. He is astonished when he realizes that it is filled to the brim with money - in British pounds. Damian and his brother Anthony (Lewis McGibbon) are astonished and quickly go on a mini-spending spree (without their father's knowledge, of course). Their unbridled fun hits a snag, though, when they learn that in just a couple of weeks England is following the lead of other European countries by switching its currency to the Euro. That means that after that time, the found money will be worthless. It becomes an intriguing seesaw battle between their two points of view. Anthony, like most people I'm sure, is bent on spending the money, or at least investing it. Damian is won over by ideals of helping poor people, and would have no problem giving most of the money to worthy causes.

Despite the sometimes heavy premise, and an adventure-filled third act, there are plenty of moments of light humor in Millions. One of my favorite parts was Anthony explaining to Damian that they can't tell anyone about the money; otherwise the government would take 40 percent of it for taxes. Damian asks him how much that is, and Anthony responds "nearly all of it," in classic fashion. It is a biting take on people's obsession with paying as little taxes as possible. One ongoing little joke involves how the brother often get free stuff, like not having to pay for candy at a store, by casually mentioning that their "mum's dead." All-in-all, Etel and McGibbon give good performances as the two children, who even manage to best their fellow adult actors.

Unfortunately the story becomes rather middling in the second half, with a plot focusing on the origin of the loot and somebody who wants it back. Combined with the very spiritual nature of the fantasy, which involves Damian being able to see Saint's and taking their advice to heart, and you have a movie that can't adequately manage its many layers. I just never bought the spiritual side of the movie, and didn't think it was necessary at all. Millions becomes rather disappointing by the end.

Really, it would have worked best if the story simply focused much more on the dilemma about using the money. But it does work as a fine meditation on the nature of humans, as well as highlighting the good and evil that can come from having money. Overall Boyle has infused his own style into the family film, and I hope that he doesn't give up on this and continues to make the occasional light fare in the future.

The Verdict: B-.

Michael Bentley 9:14 AM

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