Hmmmm....it was okay, but don't see what all the fuss is about (10 Oscar noms?). I went in not knowing anything about this film so.....

*minor spoilers*

Essentially a rags to riches story, wrapped around a young man looking for his lost childhood love. This has mashed-up elements of 'City Of God', 'Good Will Hunting', 'Scarface', and 'Who Wants To Be A Millionire' (For real. The film centers around the main character being on the Indian version of the show).
The layers of the film reveal how Jamal knows the answers to the game show questions, through flashbacks telling of his slum childhood upbringing and various relevant encounters. There is a big build-up at the end, but it takes some patience to get there and felt longer than it should've been. I was fidgety and kept pausing it to watch in installments. I felt like I was watching a long version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire', which is a show that drags on a lot as it is. I didn't care for the nice n' tidy wrap up either.
However, I can see how many people would favour this type of film as an underdog - just not really my cup o' tea.
Freida Pinto is an über-babe though!

I liked it better than Mitchy, but I too am not convinced regarding all the fuss. I made a point of seeing it yesterday, before the Oscars. I figured it was going to win, but wanted to avoid even more hype before I saw it. My only wish is that I had seen it a long time ago. I have known about this film since before it was released. Unfortunately, in the intervening weeks, the hype has really built up, creating the circumstance for disappointment.

Danny Boyle is a terrific director, and it shines through in this film. The acting is very good. The editing and story telling are excellent.

My big issue with the story is the idealized form of romantic love which is at the foundation of the whole story. This movie would have been outstanding with a more realistic love story rather than the "it is our destiny" BS spouted starting in the second half of the film.

Nonetheless, an exciting, high energy, well told film.

Mitch, stop buying bootleg DVDs! Go see movies in the theatres how they are meant to be seen - the experience is much more enveloping. While you claimed the movie dragged on, I found it suspenseful and it had me wondering how the story would unfold. I suspect seeing it on a hugh screen in the dark, vs. a small television set, without good sound, etc. played a role in your disappointment.

You are wrong, good sir!
First off, this film does not warrant a big screen treatment - it ain't the Dark Knight.
Secondly, I actually watched in the dark, in bed, on my laptop - the sound and visual quality was excellent and right in my face.
But, as I stated before, I was just getting a little restless. The whole hype was that everyone was saying things along the lines of 'you will never see a film like this one in your whole life!', with which I beg to differ. Yes, it's a good film, but I think western audiences were dazzled with the fact that it's a compelling film with an unknown eastern cast and no Brad Pitts.
Good? Yes. But film of the year? Please.

p.s. - bootlegs rule! Face it, it's inevitable. I don't have the time/money to see every stinkin' movie in the theater (most of which aren't worth the time/money). I will save it for the big-screen must-sees (like the upcoming 'Watchmen' or 'Wolverine'), but otherwise I watch a lot of films late at night after work, in the comfort of my bed. And like Derek, I just can't stand the slack-jawed, cell-phone-talking, popcorn-munching troglodytes at the local cinema.
So bring on the bootlegs! Up next - The Reader, Doubt & Revolutionary Road!

How can you say this doesn't warrant big screen treatment? Aren't all movies meant to be seen on the big screen?!

Just because it doesn't have blow-em-up-real-good scenes, doesn't mean it should not be viewed as it was intended.

Sad, so sad.

(However, I wholy agree with you when it comes to the troglodyte problem. I try to go at slightly weird times, and try to sit near the front. Most troglodytes like sitting further back...)

My point is that 2 people arguing on screen will do just fine on the TV or laptop, I don't need the IMAX treatment for every film. Also, many films are viewed at my brother's place, and he's got one of them new-fangled mega-screen TV dealies. Let's face it, this film won't blow you away because you saw it with the troglodytes at the googolplex.

Enough arguing you two. Can?t you see that you are BOTH idiots?

I really, REALLY liked this movie (much more than I thought (especially after reading Mitch?s review). I didn?t see it on the big screen but it really didn?t matter. To quote Jeff ?Danny Boyle is a terrific director, and it shines through in this film. The acting is very good. The editing and story telling are excellent.? ? Those are the strong points for me here. I think the story is told brilliantly using the game as the way to tell his life story, essentially. I don?t quite know about 10 Oscars (not sure how many it actually won). But one of the stronger outings for 2008. I still prefer The Wrestler, but this was much better than ?Milk? & ?Frost/Nixon? (although both of those were very good as well. I have no issues with this one running away with all the awards.

Tell it like it is brutha deril!

Amen to THAT !!