Millions

It’s hard to pinpoint just where Millions goes wrong, especially given the talent behind the camera (director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce), but the film’s fantastical vibe never quite takes hold – leaving us with a flat comedy that doesn’t really work on any level. The movie follows two brothers that stumble upon a duffle bag full of British Pounds, which they must spend before the Euro comes into effect (thus rendering the Pounds worthless). It’s the sort of fun setup that should’ve translated into an easy-going ride, but Boyce overloads the movie with pointless subplots and excessively “magical” sequences – to the extent that it becomes impossible to connect with any of these characters. Boyle peppers the film with an expectedly audacious sense of style, though certain choices are more silly than anything else (ie the youngest brother’s penchant for having imaginary conversations with Saints). But the bottom line is that this just isn’t a terribly interesting story, despite the best efforts of everyone involved. It’s really a case of a film trying to do too much; instead of a breezy comedy about a pair of kids trying to spend millions of dollars, we get a movie that feels as though it’s constantly searching for the right tone.

** out of ****