The opportunity to see Slumdog Millionaire is one that should not escape you. It's very, very good and succeeds in spite of it's otherwise lame title. Sure, the title fits the movie, but such a well-made film should have a title that doesn't make anyone speaking it's name sound like they're inexplicably raving about a biopic of gangsta rappers.

At least from a personal standpoint, Slumdog Millionaire may be the best movie to hit major theaters since The Darjeeling Limited, which of course creates this strange theme of excellent films set in India with glimpses into Indian life, culture, society that are rarely found in Western cinema. They're both primarily in English, to boot.

Toss in The Namesake and an effective trifecta of perspectives is created by recent films. Maybe what makes Slumdog Millionaire so good is that it makes creative use of many of the most common and generic associations of modern life in India. Among these are the opulent Taj Mahal, the slums (albeit in Mumbai and not Mother Teresa's Kolkata) and telephone call centers. Very little of this is portrayed in a positive light, but the film is positive in tone and actually lets you feel good. Of course, this doesn't mean there aren't "difficult" parts of the story within, but those are the foundation for what makes the story so great.

Maybe the most unifying characteristic of both Slumdog Millionaire and The Darjeeling Limited, other than India (duh) is the railroad. The characters of both films ride the train a good bit, but in both cases, the significance of this activity isn't the the origin or the destination of the trip. Both movies' main characters use their time on the train to develop relationships, mature and experience life. Once this element is accomplished, the movie can let the uniqueness of India's visuals hold the audience's attention.

So yeah, see Slumdog Millionaire when you have a chance. If further encouragement is needed, check out the trusty Metacritic. That said, how inadequate must the film critic for the San Francisco Chronicle be seen?