Barnes & Noble

The lovely and charming Millions is something completely different from director Danny Boyle, whose prior film to this was the visceral zombie thriller 28 Days Later. Adapted by Frank Cottrell Boyce from his own novel, Millions is the rare sleeper that appears out of nowhere to charm the entire family, evolving into a word-of-mouth hit on DVD. Visually inventive, perceptively written, and engagingly acted, the film introduces two boys -- Damian, seven, and Anthony, nine -- who move, in the wake of their mother’s death, to a new subdivision with their loving but distracted father (James Nesbitt). Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon deliver appealingly natural performances as the motherless lads who suddenly find themselves the beneficiaries of a seeming miracle: A bag of money drops from the sky into the playhouse Damian has constructed out of cardboard boxes. The more spiritually inclined Damien wants to give the money to the poor, while Alex, the practical thinker, feels real estate would be a wiser investment. Meanwhile, the man who was forced to jettison the money after stealing it now wants it back. In Hollywood’s hands, this would be the setup for Home Alone-style slapstick. And while the thief, desperate to retrieve his booty, might frighten younger viewers, Millions remains true to its gentle, whimsical muse. Millions, like The Iron Giant and other and other DVD discoveries, deserves a place in the pantheon of family classics. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Director Danny Boyle revisits a theme from his Shallow Grave and Trainspotting days -- greed -- but focuses on a much younger protagonist with this comedy drama. Millions opens with recent widower Ronnie (James Nesbitt) moving his two precocious pre-pubescent sons to the suburbs. Missing his mother and the comforts of his old neighborhood, the young Damian (Alex Etel) builds a cardboard-box fort on the outskirts of the suburb, where one day his placid introvert existence is literally crushed by a giant gym bag full of thousands of pounds' worth of cash. Less concerned with the origin of the money than with how to spend it, Damian and his older brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), decide to keep it a secret from their father, which becomes an increasingly tricky proposition as the days pass. His conscience getting in the way of his spending, Damian debates the ethics of his ill-gotten gains with a handful of imaginary saints, and begins to try to spend his cash a little more altruistically. But his charitable deeds inadvertently attract the attention of a mysterious, threatening man who's desperate to get his hands on the money. Marking a distinct change of pace for Boyle after the horror film 28 Days Later, Millions world-premiered at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival. Michael Hastings

Product Details

• UPC: 024543198932
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:38:00
• Sales Rank: 13,616

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