Millions (2004)

(On TV, January 2020) There was a Millions-sized hole in my Danny Boyle filmography, but that’s not the only reason I’m glad I have watched it—a modern-day fable involving saints, money and an exuberant filmmaking style, Millions is at once an atypical Boyle and a familiar one. But doesn’t that somehow describe all of Boyle’s filmography? Taking place in an alternate universe where (he laughed bitterly) the British Pound is about to be discontinued for the Euro, this is a story about two boys discovering a suitcase of money and trying to figure out how to use it. The older boy is about conspicuous consumption, but the younger one (our viewpoint character for most of the film) is unusually fascinated by saints and their good work. Materialism and abnegation thus get in a tug-of-war for the entire film, hastened by the impending worthlessness of the money notes and the rather sombre question of where the money comes from… and who wants it back. In typical Boyle fashion, there’s a lot more to it—from a dead mother to a new romance to quirky neighbours to fanciful use of special effects and a rhythm that seldom stops. It all amounts to a surprisingly heartfelt conclusion, which mixes spirituality, irony and generosity. Millions may not be one of Boyle’s better-known films, but it’s perhaps one of his more humane ones, and is well worth the modest effort to track down.