Millions
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring:
Alex Etel - Damian
Lewis McGibbon - Anthony
James Nesbitt - Ronnie
Daisy Donovan - Dorothy
The tagline for the movie poster of Millions asks is “Is Anyone Good?” and I think the movie poster should stop being so judgmental and do it’s damn job. But I’ll admit money, which is the big plot device of the film, usually leads one to ask such a question. Yes, most of us probably wish to do good, but if a bag full of money landed on our doorstep, would we give it to charity or spend it on ourselves?
Millions is a rich film which explores not only the issue of poverty and how it relates to morality, but how notions of morality shift as we grow older and circumstances change. Danny Boyle (yes, the same Danny Boyle of 28 Days Later… and Trainspotting) crafts a moving tale focusing on two brothers, Damien (Alex Etel) and Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon), who have recently lost their mother and soon after moving to a nice housing development happen to find a bag full of money (the titular “millions” although really it’s around 235,000£). The problem is that soon these pounds will be no good as Europe will soon be converting over to the Euro. It’s a pretty great scenario as it sets up numerous problems. First, since the deadline encourages spending, how do they get rid of the large amount of money in so short a time? Second, since they either have to spend it or surrender it to the police, what should they spend it on. Anthony chooses to indulge in the material, buying big-ticket items and using his wealth to impress the classmates at his new school. But Damien thinks the money came from God (since it came out of the sky and ominously crushed Damien’s box fort) and that it should be used to help the poor. And since this is Damien’s story, it’s the morality of using this money that becomes the issue.
I love films that work on multiple levels. I like how on one level Millions is about the moral responsibility of wealth. But I like that on another level it’s a family film and how these two boys are trying to cope with their mother’s death. Early in the film, we see Anthony teaching Damien to use their mother’s death to get free stuff, but it’s not played as callousness on the boys part but rather ignorance and if they can get free stuff using this loss, then why not? Their mother will still dead either way. And thus we get a lovely foreshadowing of how the boys will relate to the money. They can do whatever they want with the money but there’s the question of whether it’s morally right to do so.
Technically, this film does everything right. Boyle’s lively direction works wonders here as he transports us inside Damien’s imagination and how almost everything sparks from this boy’s point of view. And as per usual for a Boyle film, the musical selection is superb, especially the closing song “Nirvana” by El Bosco. It’s haunting and beautiful and only made me tear up more as the credits rolled.
This kind of visual and aural vivacity wouldn’t work half as well without McGibbon’s mature performance. The well-grounded (perhaps too-well) character of Anthony helps center the film and allows us to better understand Damien’s story. I think the film could have been even better if we had more insight into the boys father, played by the excellent James Nesbitt. While some may see his presence as a distraction, I think he was an essential part of the story in examining the themes of maturity, morality, wealth and family. The film doubly suffers by throwing a girlfriend at him (played by the charming Daisy Donovan) and we can’t really care about their relationship as much as we should since we haven’t had enough time to care about him.
A lot of people have raved about Alex Etel’s performance in this film and while I think he’s good, I think he’s just a little too much on the cutesy/perfect side. But at the same time he’s not just an empty vessel like Charlie of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In terms of narrative, Damien has to be good because he’s surrounded by people who have set aside being good for other pursuits. I found Damien’s desire to be good is both heart-warming and inspiring, but never in a sappy way. Again, credit must given to Boyle. In the hands of a lesser director, I can see Etel’s cuteness being squeezed until the screen oozed saccharine.
“Is anyone good?” The film doesn’t say but I applaud any film, especially a family film, which asks the audience to consider questions such as this one.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
1.2.06