 A FilmExposed Film Review |
 Dir: Danny Boyle, 2004, UK/USA, 98 mins
Cast: Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan
Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce and director Danny Boyle have sprinkled tons of fairy dust across Northwest England to produce this warm, surreal, and hugely enjoyable children’s flick. Paternal pride leaps from the screen, as Cottrell Boyce (father of 7) departs from his traditional Micheal Winterbottom collaboration (24 Hour Party People, Welcome to Sarajevo) to expose the Neverlandesque world existing halfway between Liverpool and Manchester.
Millions refers to the £229,320 that falls from the sky, near-crushing nine-year old Damian (Etel) while he plays in the fields behind his house. Pious and wise, Damien seeks counsel from his older brother Anthony (McGibbon), whose sound judgement declares that they spend it as fast as they can, because in twelve days time Britain converts to the Euro, and all sterling becomes worthless.
The two boys react to the money in very different ways – Anthony becomes the school Godfather, paying less affluent chums to do his dirty (home) work, while Damian’s religious hallucinations persuade him to give it away. Both become swamped by the cash, and find themselves in serious danger when the money’s disreputable owner comes a’ looking. Tragically, they must learn that old adage about money and happiness - all the cash in the world can’t buy the one thing they’ve lost.
On a lighter note, the screenplay is consistently amusing - hilarious in places - and Boyle’s direction is fresh, crisp and inventive, combining expensive CGI with traditional framing to capture suburban England in a new and exciting style seen through imaginative, childish eyes. The boundary between reality and fantasy is never fully established or resolved, but the national hysteria as the Euro approaches seems somewhat prophetical.
The film rests on the shoulders of its two inexperienced leads, who take the weight like seasoned professionals – Etel, in particular, is a delight, able to wrestle with existential angst and look cute at the same time. Nesbitt is solid playing the boys’ overwrought father (though, as always, a caricature of himself), while some wonderfully cast cameos include Alun Armstrong (as a Geordie St. Peter) and Cottrell Boyce struggling with flighty actors as the school nativity play’s director.
While a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes is soiled somewhat by 8 minutes of unnecessary sentiment, Millions is most certainly not a quaint little British film. It is political, emotive, scary (in places) and genuinely engaging. It is that rare thing - a perfect family film. If you don’t have a child, steal one. |
