Common Sense Note
Lots for the whole family to discuss here, from the effect of money on all aspects of our lives, to how to help others when there's so much need, to how much more complicated being good is than it seems.
Children may want to know more about the lives of the saints. American kids may need help understanding the thick British accents.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Put together screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce (Hilary and Jackie, Welcome to Sarajevo, and others) and director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and others), and what do you get -- a warmhearted family film? Who would have thunk it? Perhaps it's the story that Boyce, father of seven, was just waiting to write. Based on Boyce's children's book of the same name (which was an extension of the original screenplay -- got it?) MILLIONS is that rare movie that has equal appeal to kids and adults -- not a kid's movie that has a few arch jokes to keep the adults happy, but a genuine cross-generational gem.
British brothers Damian and Anthony have recently lost their mother and have moved with their father to a new home to start over. Younger brother Damian (Alex Etel) has become obsessed with the lives of the saints, memorizing their stats like baseball cards, and seeing and conversing with them in visions that he (and the audience) can't tell from reality. He constructs a hermitage for himself down by the railroad tracks out of leftover moving boxes. And one day a bag full of money falls out of the sky and crashes into the hermitage.
Damian is sure it's from God, and wants to use the money to help the poor. Anthony just wants to spend it as fast as he can. But there are two problems: England is converting to the euro in one week, after which the money will be worthless, and the money may have been sent by God, but it was delivered by a burglar -- who wants it back.
Children will appreciate the funny and suspenseful story, and the respect Boyle and Boyce have both for their young characters and their audience. Adults will like the literate script, which doesn't pander or condescend, and the stylish and original direction (though for some that will be a drawback, as it sometimes draws too much attention to itself). Both will be moved by newcomer Etel's luminous performance, which anchors the film and provides its heart and soul. For ultimately, after you cut through all the intellectual and emotional layers, the brilliant cinematography, and the humor and excitement, this is the story of a lonely, loving child trying as hard as he can to be good, to do what's right, and to connect with the world of spirit, but in a way that is never less than believably childlike and real. It's not often a movie like this comes along for the family to share, and talk about. Don't miss it.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentThe boys look at a lingerie site and try to enlarge the nipple seen through a bra. Damian walks in on his father and girlfriend asleep in the same bed. |
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ViolenceDamian is threatened by a burglar. An imagined burglary involves baseball bats, no beating shown. |
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LanguageBrief language. |
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Social BehaviorThe boys lie to hide the money, but Damian is trying very hard to do right. They also use the death of their mother to gain sympathy and presents. The father decides to keep money that doesn't belong to him. |
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CommercialismMany products mentioned as the boys think about spending the money. The Nike swoosh is prominently displayed on the bag of money. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoThe ghost of a saint smokes, and comments that anything is allowed in heaven. |
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