'Slumdog Millionaire' Is 'Rocky' for This Century

Micah Mertes - Lincoln Journal-Star

OK, it's a little early to call the Oscars, but "Slumdog Millionaire" is the Best Picture frontrunner at this point.

Sure, "Milk," "Frost/Nixon," "The Dark Knight" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" all stand some chance of overcoming this little movie that could come Feb. 22. But I wouldn't bet on it.

"Slumdog" is clearly the popular favorite with about six weeks to go. And it's the one the critics believe to be the most electable. MovieCityNews.com, which tracks awards season buzz, has put together a panel of 16 movie critics and insiders to guess which flick will take the big prize. The consensus is solidly in favor of "Slumdog." Without too much irony, New York Magazine has already congratulated "Slumdog" for winning Best Picture.

If it does win, it will be among a select few Best Picture winners that (a) boasted a substantial number of subtitles and (b) featured no well-known actors.

Usually, the Best Picture winner is some paradigm of big-studio might ("Titanic," "Chicago," "Gladiator" and "Gone With the Wind," to name a few). But every once in a while, a counterintuitive pic goes home with the glory.

One that comes to mind: "Rocky" (1976). In spirit and theme, "Slumdog" is more like "Rocky" than those big-studio options.

Both films are about underdogs overcoming their dismal circumstances. Both are almost uncontrollably crowd-pleasing. And both feature really rad montages.

"Rocky" was an especially unlikely choice for Best Picture because it had little budget and no bankable star. Sylvester Stallone, who won an Oscar for his original screenplay, refused to sell the script to United Artists unless it cast him as the lead.

The studio wanted a big star at the time, like Robert Redford or James Caan, but in the end, U.A. budged, casting Stallone and cutting the budget (and Stallone's paycheck) substantially. The story behind the movie was just as inspiring as the movie itself.

In the past decade or so, the Best Picture winners have been a tad depressing: big boats sinking, gladiators dying, boxers being euthanized, suburbia rotting and Leo DiCaprio taking one to the head. And I'm fine with that.

But it would be nice to see such an unabashedly feel-good movie take home the prize for once.

I feel like my generation finally has its "Rocky."

And, thank the heavens, "Slumdog" probably won't end up having five sequels.

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