Millions Movie Review:


If you’ve ever dreamed of finding a duffle bag containing a million dollars or called upon an imaginary being to lend a hand, then you’ll enjoy Millions. It’s a story about two little boys facing life after the death of their mother who find an extraordinary gift that sends their imagination to the ends of the world.

Not quite grasping that his mother is gone, seven -year-old Damian (Alex Etel) fills his world with flights of imagination. He knows all the saints, what each is noted for and the year he/she was around. He even has regular conversations with them. So he’s not too surprised when he’s playing in his cardboard fort near the train tracks and a bag of money falls on top of the fort. It must have come from Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), the patron saint of families.

Damian is so excited he can’t wait to tell 9-year-old brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), who decides they shouldn’t inform their dad. While Damian is a softie who wants to give the money away to those less fortunate than his family, Anthony is prudent and wants to invest the money. At one point, he even tries to buy a condo, but ultimately realizes at some point in the deal an adult will have to show up.

When news gets out that a bag of recovered money from a robbery is missing, the boys realize it’s the bag they now have. Because Damian is such a believer in the good of mankind, even when he’s followed and threatened by the robber who stole the money in the first place, he’s unfazed. (Warning note: the robber may seem a tad frightening to younger children.)

Unaware that his sons have millions, dad Ronnie (James Nesbitt) continues to work hard. He’s proud when he can move the boys to a bigger house in a neighborhood where things like Christmas decorations are a big thing.

After Damian meets Dorothy (Daisy Donovan), a charity worker at his school, he slips a wad of cash into her collection barrel. When she comes to their home to sniff out the source of the money, Ronnie likes her quirky ways and spontaneous energy. Soon she’s a regular presence in the house.

Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce (24 Hour Party People) came up with the idea for Millions, and the script eventually landed in the hands of director Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting). Casting the boys was pivotal to the film’s believability, especially in light of Damian’s imaginative illusions. Etel and McGibbon, who make their film debuts here, do a splendid job of filling the roles. “We went into a process of what casting directors call ‘kissing frogs’,” said Boyle, “where you have to see thousands of kids before somebody emerges who you hope will be your prince.”

McGibbon had his own ideas about the value of money and what the boys could buy with it. “He had timing, knew what acting was and had crossed the barrier from total innocence to knowing what it was about. I thought that was a great attribute for that particular character because Anthony is someone who has one foot in childhood and the other foot in the modern world,” said Boyle.

Finding a boy to capture Damian’s innocence and naiveté, Boyle discovered, was more difficult. “None of the boys we saw of that age are truly actors yet,” he said. “I remember when he (Etel) walked into the room, even before he opened his mouth. I had to stop myself from thinking, ‘That’s him.’ But he was the one I wanted from the beginning, and I stuck with that.”

In a sweet and funny way, Millions strives to explore what money is really all about -- that it usually can’t buy the one thing we want most. Watching Damian and Anthony come to understand this important lesson is an enjoyable journey that warms the heart, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle’s brilliant color scheme adds to the magic of the story.



Diana Saenger

What would happen if innocence of a child was all of sudden faced with the responsibility and corruption of more money than he could possibly imagine?

Director Danny Boyle, who also brought us “Trainspotting” and “28 Days Later”, asks that very question when a two young brothers, Anthony and Damian, come across a duffel-bag full of British pounds. Initially the brothers decide to seek out poor people and share their good fortunes. But who is more deserving?

Their good fortunes get more complicated when the nation begins its countdown to switch over to the incoming Euro and it is discovered that the money was stolen in an elaborate railway heist. What is to be done with all that loot?

Danny Boyle is one of those directors that keeps shocking me with every film he makes. Sure he has also had his share of failures like “The Beach” and “A Life Less Ordinary” but even in his failures he still asks questions and challenges the viewer. But then if you look at how different his successes are like the fore-mentioned “Trainspotting” and “28 Days Later” than you can see that he is becoming an adaptive director who takes challenges head on. It is because of this boldness and unflinching exploration that I think Danny Boyle could become one of the greatest directors working today.

In “Millions”, Boyle is able to restrain his dark intentions and focus on the innocence of the film’s central character Damian (Alexander Nathan Etel). Through that focus we begin to see Damian’s world and that is accented with his fascination with Catholic Saints. It truly is amazing how Boyle is able balance the light and the dark throughout the film. A lot of filmmakers usually forgo the balance in a film’s third act to bring clarification, tension or joy for the conclusion. Boyle finds a new way to maintain the balance.

I really enjoyed the wide-eyed innocence of Alexander Nathan Etel. This little guy is an absolute treasure to watch and has such undying magnetism on screen. He is brilliant.

I also really enjoyed the performance of James Nesbitt, who plays the father of the brothers, Anthony and Damian. Nesbitt is the central adult figure in the picture that eventually has to be told about the fortune. Then you get to see the difference between how an adult sees the money and a child.

“Millions” is told as a fable and the film accents a lot of these aspects through its magical telling. From the brightness of colors to the appearances of the saints, “Millions” also builds on the magical aspect of what a fable really is.

“Millions” is one of the best family films to come out in a very long time. It is truly the first great film of 2005.



So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

In making their first children's film, Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) and Boyce (24 Hour Party People, Hilary & Jackie) bring a seriously askew sensibility to their work that never talks down to the kids. In fact, you could argue that with its strong themes (and strong language) this isn't a children's film at all!

Damian and Anthony (Etel and McGibbon) are brothers, aged 8 and 10, living with their doting dad (Nesbitt) and trying to come to terms with the untimely death of their mother. Damian imaginatively dreams of one day being a saint, so when a bag filled with cash lands in his lap, he assumes it's a gift from God and starts giving it to the poor. But the more world-wise Anthony has other ideas. Whatever, they know they mustn't tell anyone!

Yes, this is another of Boyle's "bag of cash" movies, and there's rather a lot of Shallow Grave in here with its examination of greed and materialism. But Boyce's screenplay has other ideas as well, mixing in Britain's conversion from the pound to the euro (providing a deadline for spending the cash), a charity worker (Donovan) wooing their dad, a thug (Fulford) in search of the lost bag, Mormon neighbours, and a lot of religious imagery and themes. As a result, the film grabs both our hearts and minds--entertaining us and making us think.

Etel and McGibbon are real finds, giving raw and honest performances that completely hold the film together, while Nesbitt and Donovan are lively and endearing as the adults who try perhaps a bit too much. There are also memorable side characters everywhere, as well as dryly witty running gags and perhaps a few too many gimmicks for one movie, both in the story itself and in the whizzy, inventive filmmaking style.

Boyle and Boyce meaningfully embrace the story's magical realism and actually make it work despite Boyce's usual unfocussed plot structure, finding the serious undertone beneath the comic surface without ever getting sappy. They're also unafraid to get fairly creepy and unsettling at times without ever losing view of the story's themes. And the ending packs a wonderfully lasting punch.

Rich Cline

Moving to a new house, Damian (Etel) builds himself a den next to the train tracks in the field next to the estate. While watching a train go by, a huge bag falls from the sky and almost destroys the den. Opening it, Damian discovers that it is full of money. Telling his brother Anthony, the pair has to come up with a plan of what to do with because there is only fourteen days left before the UK switches to the Euro and the money will no longer be legal tender.

Once in a while a film comes along that takes you totally by surprise and ‘Millions’ is one of those movies.

Director Danny Boyle, who is best known for his more adult orientated movies like ‘Trainspotting’, ’28 Days Later’ and ‘Shallow Grave’, moves into the family picture genre and produces a real gem. A simple story about what brothers would do if they found a huge bag of money is given the Danny Boyle visual touch to turn this into an excellent feel good movie.

Here we have Damien and Anthony, boys who have recently lost their mother and both with differing opinions on what they should do with the money. Damien knows everything about Saints, having been convinced that his mother will become one, so he wants to give the money to the poor or charities. Anthony uses the cash to gain influence in his new school but still wants to do good with their gains. Neither of them wants to get caught however as they only have fourteen days to decide what they want to do because of the Euro change over that renders the pound redundant. This premise opens the story up to many a fun moment but Doyle injects his usual slice of darkness by creating a character that wants the money back.

Bringing this heart-warming and uplifting story to life are two extremely good performances by two up and coming new stars. Alex Etel and Lewis Owen McGibbon are exceptional as Damien and Anthony. Etel lights up the screen as Damien, the boy who can only see the good in people who gets advice from Saints about life and his dilemma over the money. McGibbon is also extremely good as Anthony, the older brother who just happens to be a wiz with money. The pair together drive the film, captivating you from the off and drawing you into their incredible story.

The support is also good. Jimmy Nesbitt is as good as ever as the boys father Ronnie, even though his role is quite small. Daisy Donavan makes the transition from comedic TV presenter to actress very well as Ronnie new girlfriend, Dorothy. There is also a scene stealing performance from Pearce Quigley, as the hilarious Community Policeman.

‘Millions’ is an excellent example of a feel good family film. Danny Boyle proves again that he is an extremely gifted filmmaker, whatever the genre he inhabits, by creating a movie that will put a smile on your face for a very long time.

Jamie Kelwick

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