Three Reasons Slumdog Millionaire's Oscar Victory is Questionable

It remains nearly incomprehensible that Slumdog Millionaire was able to slither away with so many statuettes on Academy Award evening, including the trophies that mattered most...Best Picture and Best Director. It was only "nearly" incomprehensible because the Oscar process in general and Academy Award night in particular through the years has always served up it share of implausible winners.

Example? Alfred Hitchcock's world-renowned and universally beloved Psycho did not even receive a "Best Picture" nomination in 1960. Example? Citizen Kane, on everyone's all-time top five list for films was bested by How Green Was My Valley in 1941. Example? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with its acrobatic sword battle scenes and combatants somehow magically elevating onto rooftops for no apparent reason was nominated for "Best Picture" and a host of other awards in 2000. Thankfully, enough voters came to their senses and virtually shut the movie out that night, turning it into Crouching Mindlessness, Hidden Value in a matter of hours.

But not so for Slumdog Millionaire. So as the award season finally closes on the films of 2008, let's take one last look at Slumdog Millionaire and the reasons it shouldn't possibly be considered at the level of distinction it eventually earned.

Acting Performance - Very few times in the history of Oscar-nominated films has a movie with no acting nominations walked away with the "Best Picture" honor. As a matter of fact, it's happened only three times in the last 25 years, and in two of those years, the films that won were epic action-driven movies, not performance-driven story-based films such as Slumdog Millionaire. In 2003, the third of the Lord of the Rings trilogy did not have an actor nominated (though Ian Mckellen was nominated for the first Lord of the Rings film two years earlier.) In 1995, Braveheart won "Best Picture" with no actors nominated. The only comparable situation occurred in 1987 as The Last Emperor emerged victorious.

When talk of nominations began to surface over the last several months, one was hard-pressed to find a Slumdog among the pundit's lists - even as dark horse contenders. Dev Patel was mentioned a few times, but hardly with much conviction. It is hard to believe a film with so little to recommend it in the performance category can be good enough to earn an Oscar nomination, let alone leave the theater with a victory. The argument, stated occasionally, referencing Slumdog Millionaire's ensemble cast as cumulative value is hogwash and poppycock. This was a film with very defined roles...Dev Patel in the Best Actor category, Freida Pinto for Best Actress, and Anil Kapoor as Best Supporting Actor. As a sidebar issue, it would have been a bonus for viewers if the latter could have learned how to pronounce the word "millionaire," instead of "mill-an-aire." There's an "I" in the word, Anil. Not important, I guess. It's only in the title of the film.

Fatal Flaw #1 - Did it occur to anyone that, in order for the film to flow so seamlessly into a perfect Bollywood ending, a grievous implausibility had to take place? At no time during the film does the older brother, Salim, exhibit any tendency to perform the ultimate act of selflessness - offer himself up for certain death in order for his brother and Latika to finally be together. He takes some risks as a youth with brandished firearms, but mostly for his own personal safety.

This was a rather sudden death wish, emanating from the nether regions of the screenwriter's consciousness. Also, he opens the door to let her out of the building. Any thoughts that, as long as he had open egress, he might try to flee himself? No, I suppose it's more dramatic to lie in a bathtub full of dollars and wait to get riddled with gunshots. Implausibility is fine for Iron Man, not for a film like Slumdog Millionaire.

Fatal Flaw #2 - While everyone goes weepy at the screen kiss between Latika and Jamal at movie's end, did it occur to anyone that she waited until it was apparent he was worth a significant amount of money before she jumped in emotionally? We're celebrating this moment?

Thankfully, the curtain is closed on this award season. The Academy voters have a full year to reflect on their shame, and return to credibility next February.