Millions

Director Danny Boyle is known for wildly imaginative visuals in coolly innovative and gritty movies about murderers (Shallow Grave), junkies (Trainspotting), and zombies (28 Days Later), so what's he doing making a sweet, sentimental kids' flick? He's virtually reinventing another genre, of course. In Millions, an angel-faced seven-year-old Irish boy named Damian (Alexander Nathan Etel) finds a duffel bag full of bank robbery loot, but because of his youthful naiveté, his faith in saints (whom Damian talks to, thanks to a fertile imagination), and the fact that the bag literally fell from the sky, the lad assumes the booty is a gift from God and he sets out on a mission to help the poor. Unfortunately, the bank robbers want the money back, adding a palpable kiddie-flick element of peril. Damian's rich fantasy life allows Boyle some creative license that he puts to delightful use, crafting a bright and colorful film that is novel, genuinely heartwarming, and wistful--all without becoming sappy. Millions does lose a bit of integrity with two last-minute developments that are dishonest to its spirit, but these shortcomings are not enough to dampen the picture's droll, whimsical charm. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Danny Boyle and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, 10 deleted scenes (32 min.), a behind-the-scenes section featuring four featurettes (14 min. total), a four-minute DVD “cutdown” montage of the movie, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning little film.] (R. Blackwelder)