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Money, Money Everywhere; and not a Pound to Spend!Feed the Poor, or buy an iPod, you decide.By Robert J. Sodaro Millions: PG (97 minutes) Starring: James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan, Lewis Owen McGibbon, Alexander Nathan Etel, Enzo Cilenti Directed by: Danny Boyle
What would you do if you suddenly came into passion of millions of dollars (or in the case of Damian (Alexander Nathan Etel) and Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon), millions of British Pounds)? Chances are your reaction would fall somewhere between seven-year-old Damian’s desire to give it all to poor and hungry people, and his nine-year-old brother Anthony’s desire to invest it in big-ticket, investment items (like high-end cell phones, a posh flat in midtown as an investment opportunity, and a pile of very cool collectibles courtesy of your schoolmates, as well as spreading the wealth around to those very same mates so that they’ll treat you fine and all that).
Well, that is precisely what happens in this British-made flick, when a gym bag full of cash drops out of the sky and literally lands in young Damian’s lap. At first, the young lad (who has a tendency to see things, like historic religious figures — including St. Peter, St. Francis, St. Joseph, and others — who come to life and talk to him) isn’t sure that the money is real, but when Anthony sees the money as well, he is certain that the money is there. As stated, Damian, a good-hearted soul, wants to save the world, while his brother, Anthony, simply wants to buy it all up. Just prior to the finding of all this cash, Damian and Anthony’s mother had passed away, and their world was turned upside-down. Now their father (James Nesbitt) is trying his hardest to raise his boys by himself, (which is getting harder now that he’s seemed to have met someone new), and complicated by the fact that Damian keeps slipping further into his very own dream world populated by saints and other religious figures, and, now that he’s found all of this cash, he’s trying to save everyone else in the real world.
Well, that’s just the surface story of Millions, a 2004 British-made flick that on its more practical levels revolves around the daring daylight robbery of a British money train that is transporting millions of British Pounds destined to be taken out of circulation and burned as England transfers its currency to the EC’s Euro. The thieves have concocted a breathtakingly brilliant fool-proof plan to steal this virtually untraceable money, and then transfer it into Euros before the Pound is quite literally phased out and becomes worthless bits of pretty-colored paper suitable for wallpaper in just a few days. So when Damian and Anthony come across the money, they know that they need to spend it right quick before this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the lads.
Full of fanciful imagery, and delightful performances Millions (based on the equally entertaining teen novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce) is a cinematic breath of fresh air from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later..., and the lesser-known (here in the States), but entertainingly-titled — Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise well worth checking out as it winds its way through art-theater houses throughout the country While both the book and film are so obviously targeted for adolescents, the film operates on many levels, and works quite well for an adult audience as well. I highly recommend it for all audiences. __________ This entire article is copyright (c) 2005 Freelance Ink, All right reserved. It cannot be reprinted without specific, written permission from the author. Robert J. Sodaro has been writing professionally for over 20 years. His movie reviews have run as columns in Tunes 'n' Times, Hip, Mixx, InterMixx, and The Stamford Times; currently his reviews appear both here and in print in NY & CT MoreSugar.  Add A Comment to this article
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