Slumdog Millionaire is a Winner

David Wall and Jacqueline Remondet Wall enthusiastically endorse Slumdog Millionaire as a film that psychologists should see. They note,

the strong emotional tie-in that [Director Danny] Boyle hits in almost every scene is the underdog status of the three protagonists. It is almost as if he were specifically referencing the underdog psychology research. Did we feel emotionally manipulated by Boyle's effort? Perhaps we did. Did we feel good and happy when we left the theater? Definitely we did. Do we recommend the film? By all means. It is definitely our pick for the Best Underdog Film for 2008 and maybe for all time.

Can psychological science help us understand the widespread international popularity of this film?

Read the Review

Nominations for the Best Underdog Picture Are…and the Winner is…
By David G. Wall [and] Jacqueline Remondet Wall
      PsycCRITIQUES, 2009 Vol 54(8)

Comments

[Sharon Lamb, Ed.D.]

I wanted to mention an aspect of the film that really bothered me and that's the stereotyped role the girl played... especially when she ends up married to the mobster type later on -- and the lead character "rescues" her. I felt that it was the same old cliche -- Snidely Whiplash and the helpless maidenm "Pay the rent", "Anything else!"... "Make me a sandwich"... The willingness of viewers to overlook supporting role players when the leading role is original may indeed have something to do with that identification with the underdog.
I also don't think that any film that shows people burning out the eyes of children should be called a "feel-good" movie!