Do you believe in magic? How about miracles? Not to worry. The imaginative "Millions" will have you doing just that.
Told from a child's perspective, "Millions" is set in a London suburb twelve days before the currency conversion to the Euro (a conceit of the film), after which the British pound will no longer be accepted as legal tender. This fact drives the plot, but "Millions" (which has an Aesopian quality I'll get to in a bit) is much more than mere plot.
When the film opens, it is moving day for Damian (Alex Etel), an angelic-looking, freckle-faced boy; his slightly older, pubescent brother, Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon); and their father (the always reliable James Nesbitt). The boys' mother, we learn, has been dead one year.
We first see Damian and Anthony racing their bikes alongside the train tracks, then lying in a field and imagining what their new home will look like. Stop-motion animation, in this and other, similar sequences, appropriately reminds us that "Millions" is not only a tale told by a child, but that that child is rather unusual, to say the least.
Damian, who only "wants to be good," sees saints and reels off their vital statistics -- their birth and death dates -- the way other boys do baseball or soccer stats. Although Damian's brother genuinely loves him, at their new school he reminds Damian not to be "too conspicuous" in his oddity so that he will be able to fit in and make friends. But the in-the- flesh saints, swirling halos and all, with whom Damian converses -- including St. Peter, St. Francis of Assisi, The Martyrs of Uganda, and a comical pot-smoking St. Clare (did you know she was the "patron saint of television"?) -- are much more fascinating to him.
It is during Damian's conversation with St. Clare (Kathryn Pogson), conducted within a cardboard box fortress he constructs in a field beside the railroad tracks, that an over-sized athletic bag full of money lands on him. Naturally, he believes it is sent "from God."
What to do with this windfall becomes a point of contention between the two brothers: Anthony wants to buy things, and Damian wants to give it to poor people. In some manner, both brothers get to fulfill their wishes. That is, until they discover from a schoolmate that the real source of the money is an elaborately staged robbery scheme, and that the thieves are still very much at large. At this point, plot takes over, though not heavy-handedly.
The charming "Millions" marks a departure for director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later") and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce ("24 Hour Party People," "Hilary and Jackie"), both of whose previous efforts explored darker themes. The union of these two creative talents provides an extremely satisfying experience, albeit a much lighter one, than those credits suggest.
"Millions" benefits from spot-on casting, well-paced editing (by Chris Gill), and a lively soundtrack (which includes The Clash, The Muse, Vangelis, and original music by John Murphy). Cinematography, by Anthony Dodd Mantle ("28 Days Later"), further enhances the film's blend of fantasy and reality: its rich primary color palette reinforces the child's eye- view, and a number of high-angle shots suggest a more watchful perspective that, at the right moments, establishes an appropriate element of suspense.
But "Millions" is more than the sum of its parts. Without getting preachy, the film is an allegory about faith, and the difficulties we all face in being good. Money aside, being even ever so slightly corrupt is sometimes just too easy for us fallible humans. Even for Damian, who is just a boy. And boys will be boys. He has learned how uncomfortable grownups get when he tells them his "mum's dead," and he has no qualms about repeating this phrase when the likely result of doing so will be a reward of sweets. Despite his contrition, the tactic is not beneath him.
If something as innocent as sweets can cause us to stray, what chance do we stand against a big bag of free money which, as Damian says, "makes it harder to see what's what"? Indeed.
The ability to see what's what and to simplify the often complicated aspects of being human is the spirit of "Millions," which suggests that there is no predicting what anyone will do next, even in the film business. Say hallelujah.
Told from a child's perspective, "Millions" is set in a London suburb twelve days before the currency conversion to the Euro (a conceit of the film), after which the British pound will no longer be accepted as legal tender. This fact drives the plot, but "Millions" (which has an Aesopian quality I'll get to in a bit) is much more than mere plot.
When the film opens, it is moving day for Damian (Alex Etel), an angelic-looking, freckle-faced boy; his slightly older, pubescent brother, Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon); and their father (the always reliable James Nesbitt). The boys' mother, we learn, has been dead one year.
We first see Damian and Anthony racing their bikes alongside the train tracks, then lying in a field and imagining what their new home will look like. Stop-motion animation, in this and other, similar sequences, appropriately reminds us that "Millions" is not only a tale told by a child, but that that child is rather unusual, to say the least.
Damian, who only "wants to be good," sees saints and reels off their vital statistics -- their birth and death dates -- the way other boys do baseball or soccer stats. Although Damian's brother genuinely loves him, at their new school he reminds Damian not to be "too conspicuous" in his oddity so that he will be able to fit in and make friends. But the in-the- flesh saints, swirling halos and all, with whom Damian converses -- including St. Peter, St. Francis of Assisi, The Martyrs of Uganda, and a comical pot-smoking St. Clare (did you know she was the "patron saint of television"?) -- are much more fascinating to him.
It is during Damian's conversation with St. Clare (Kathryn Pogson), conducted within a cardboard box fortress he constructs in a field beside the railroad tracks, that an over-sized athletic bag full of money lands on him. Naturally, he believes it is sent "from God."
What to do with this windfall becomes a point of contention between the two brothers: Anthony wants to buy things, and Damian wants to give it to poor people. In some manner, both brothers get to fulfill their wishes. That is, until they discover from a schoolmate that the real source of the money is an elaborately staged robbery scheme, and that the thieves are still very much at large. At this point, plot takes over, though not heavy-handedly.
The charming "Millions" marks a departure for director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting," "28 Days Later") and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce ("24 Hour Party People," "Hilary and Jackie"), both of whose previous efforts explored darker themes. The union of these two creative talents provides an extremely satisfying experience, albeit a much lighter one, than those credits suggest.
"Millions" benefits from spot-on casting, well-paced editing (by Chris Gill), and a lively soundtrack (which includes The Clash, The Muse, Vangelis, and original music by John Murphy). Cinematography, by Anthony Dodd Mantle ("28 Days Later"), further enhances the film's blend of fantasy and reality: its rich primary color palette reinforces the child's eye- view, and a number of high-angle shots suggest a more watchful perspective that, at the right moments, establishes an appropriate element of suspense.
But "Millions" is more than the sum of its parts. Without getting preachy, the film is an allegory about faith, and the difficulties we all face in being good. Money aside, being even ever so slightly corrupt is sometimes just too easy for us fallible humans. Even for Damian, who is just a boy. And boys will be boys. He has learned how uncomfortable grownups get when he tells them his "mum's dead," and he has no qualms about repeating this phrase when the likely result of doing so will be a reward of sweets. Despite his contrition, the tactic is not beneath him.
If something as innocent as sweets can cause us to stray, what chance do we stand against a big bag of free money which, as Damian says, "makes it harder to see what's what"? Indeed.
The ability to see what's what and to simplify the often complicated aspects of being human is the spirit of "Millions," which suggests that there is no predicting what anyone will do next, even in the film business. Say hallelujah.