I would first like to say that this movie was never on the list of movies I, or my family, wanted to watch. Why? For me, because I don't normally like movies that aren't fantasy or historical. For my Mom, because of the violence. After watching it, I'm glad that I did. The views of Jamal's childhood felt really historical, even thought they weren't that old. I also liked the message of the movie.
I still can't talk my Mom into watching it, though. She agrees that the story sounds really good, but she just can't watch graphic violence. I wish that they would make movies in a way that you know bad things are happening without showing (and making sounds of) all the blood and gore. I think the reason they include it is because violence sells tickets, which is at least a part of the message of this movie.
The three main characters of the movie - Jamal, Malik, and Lakita, represent three different perspectives on like. They all start out pretty much the same, very poor and of a lower caste. As time goes on and life happens, they each take a different path.
Malik is the "fight fire with fire" type. He tries to be tough and beat the people who treat him badly at their own game. Although he sometimes acts like he cares for his brother and their friend, he mostly looks out for himself.
Lakita is the perpetual victim. She just lets life happen to her. She is the opposite of Malik.
Jamal is the eternal optimist. He never stops trying to live a good life and to make his life better. He also does his best to bring the other two with him.
In the end, Jamal's way wins out. Even Malik seems to be influenced by Jamal's sense of family to do what is best for someone other than himself. Jamal and Lakita are together again and we're left to decide for ourselves how their lives go on from there. I don't think Lakita will ever really stop being so weak, but hopefully Jamal can help her.
Jamal's life experiences only help to make him stronger. He takes each event and finds a way to build himself up with it. The Millionaire game is just a metaphor for this. In the game all his experiences give him the answers he needs to win the game. The real game is his life and his experiences made him a better person.
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