Milllions: Movie & DVD Review (2005)

(Originally published 2005)

From director Danny Boyle, whose “Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later” and “Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise” weren't exactly fodder for tots, comes “Millions,” a fable for children in which the director successfully branches into new directions.

In the film, two motherless brothers--7-year-old Damian (Alex Etel), 9-year-old Anthony (Lewis McGibbon)--find their lives forever changed by a stack of cash that literally falls from the sky.

For Damian, a solemn little boy who has the unique gift to speak with saints--a good deal of whom smoke and have halos twinkling above their heads--it’s obvious that the money is a gift from God and that it should be used for charity. For crafty Anthony, who is forever on the make, charity begins at home. For the crooks who lost the money, getting it back is what gives the movie its delightful narrative pull.

As usual, Boyle is a whirling dervish behind the camera, but really, in this sweetly gripping movie, he could have toned down the technical hoo-ha and still come away with a winner. His "Millions" is touching and fearless.

Rated: PG. Grade: A-


DVD Features

• Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Full-length audio commentary by director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce
• Deleted scenes
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes