Lion

2016 drama

Rating: 12/20

Plot: An Indian kid gets lost.

I'd be lyin' if I told you that I thought this was Best Picture nominee material.

This is based on a true story regarding a very real serious issue with children getting themselves lost in India. And then apparently growing into stud muffins like that Dev Patel up there. The story's all nice and uplifting, at least partially, and I don't think that's a spoiler because you figured it would have to be in order to be different enough from the rest of these missing Indian children stories for anybody to care. The problem is that the story really starts dragging and then manipulates in the end, jerking tears from rolled eyes. Lay on a little Nicole Kidman pretty thick, give the viewer the biological mother money shot, and get some sappy music for the background, and you've got yourself a Best Picture nominee.

I liked the kid who played young Dev Patel. His name is Sunny Pawar. He was cute enough to make me care and played the part with just the right amount of desperation and courage. I actually thought he was more convincing than Dev Patel, who was nominated for the Oscar. His performance is fine, but it's a little too obvious. His character's emotions are felt more as a result of the manipulation rather than anything Patel is doing. He certainly is pretty though.

My biggest gripe with this movie is that the whole thing is really just an extended advertisement for Google Earth. Don't get me wrong--I love Google as much as the next 21st Century guy, but that doesn't mean I want to see a 2-hour commercial about how wonderful one of their services is. The movie doesn't even try to hide that it's a commercial. Garth Davis, according to his bio on imdb, is an "internationally renowned commercials director."

That wraps up all of last year's Best Picture nominees, by the way. I guess I'd go with Hell or High Water as my pick although I'm not against Moonlight taking the prize. Of course, we all know Swiss Army Man should have been nominated and won the thing. It was overall a pretty weak selection of Best Picture nominees though, wasn't it? This, Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, and Manchester by the Sea really underwhelmed.