"MILLIONS" (2005) (Alex Etel, James Nesbitt) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Heavy Moderate None Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Mild Heavy None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Minor Moderate Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Comedy/Drama: After a bag containing lots of money literally drops at his feet, a young boy and his older brother try to figure out what to do with the hundreds of thousands of pounds before they're converted over to the Euro. PLOT: Young Damian Cunningham (ALEX ETEL) has quite the imagination. Having moved into a new house with his older brother Anthony (LEWIS McGIBBON) and their recently widowed father Ronnie (JAMES NESBITT), Damian has constructed a cardboard fort near some adjacent railroad tracks where he has conversations with the various Catholic saints that he knows by name and date. So when a large duffle bag containing a large sum of money literally drops from the sky, he thinks he's imagined that as well. Anthony proves him wrong, but tells his younger brother that they shouldn't tell anyone about the 229,000 pounds they've just acquired, including their father, citing tax reasons. The two, of course, can't keep their mouths shut, although they have different designs on the cash. Anthony thinks they should invest it to best capitalize on the large amount of interest they could make, while Damian thinks the money is a gift from God that they should share with the poor. That includes Dorothy (DAISY DONOVAN), a young woman who's come to their school trying to get the kids to donate their spare change -- which will soon become worthless when their nation's currency is converted to Euros -- for the poor in Africa. Damian gives a large amount, which obviously piques Dorothy and then Ronnie's interest in where he got the money. When the boy tells a poor looking stranger (CHRISTOPHER FULFORD), however, that he has lots of that, the man -- who may have a connection to it and its sudden appearance in Damian's fort -- won't go away. Nervous about him, their father learning the truth and the pending currency retirement, the two brothers then set out to exchange and spend the money as fast as they can. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If the advertising connects with them, they might, but this might not draw the interest of many kids (despite children being the main characters in it). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For thematic elements, language, some peril and mild sensuality. Previously rated PG-13 before editing to get the PG rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ALEX ETEL plays the young and idealistic boy who finds the money and wants to give it to the poor since he thinks it came from God (he's also big on knowing and imagining conversing with many Catholic saints). JAMES NESBITT plays his recently widowed dad who's just moved his family to a new home, but then gets wrapped up in the discovered money issue. He also apparently has sex with Dorothy despite having just met her. LEWIS McGIBBON plays Damian's older brother who's more pragmatic about the money and wants to invest it. DAISY DONOVAN plays a charity worker who asks school kids for their spare change for the poor in Africa, and has her interest piqued when Damian donates a lot. She apparently ends up having sex with Ronnie. CHRISTOPHER FULFORD plays the stranger who's after the boys' newfound money and acts menacingly toward them. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this comedy/drama that's been rated PG. A few religious and colorful phrases are uttered, while two boys comment about breasts while looking at a website that shows close-ups of women in their bras (with cleavage). A buxom woman is seen in attire that shows abundant cleavage in some TV commercials, while a boy walks into his father's bedroom and finds him in bed with a woman (nothing occurring, but they're under the covers and the father is shirtless). Some characters have bad attitudes, including a stranger who acts menacingly toward the boys and wants their money. Some of those related scenes (including ones where the youngest brother hides from the man) may be unsettling or suspenseful to some viewers (as might the sight of an imagined saint with a big scar around his neck from an earlier beheading -- but he has his head here). Some brief violence (struggling and hitting during a robbery and the stranger lifting the oldest brother off the ground) is present, as is tense family material regarding the boys' mother having died sometime in the recent past. Some brief drinking and smoking is present, as is some behavior that could be imitated, while people who've come across a large sum of money try to spend it before it becomes useless (rather than turning it over to the authorities). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Ronnie has some wine. Ronnie opens some champagne and he and Deborah have some, with Deborah later seen drinking straight from the bottle in a playful manner. BLOOD/GORE We see a bloody handshake and then see that Damian is chatting with a saint who says he was beheaded back in his day (and he has a big scar around his neck). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the bad attitudes displayed by the kids are portrayed in somewhat of a playful and whimsical fashion. Anthony tells Damian that they can milk the fact that their mother is dead (people give them things and treat them nicely when the brothers tell others). Some may view that as a bad attitude, although it's played for light comedy. Anthony tells Damian that they can't tell their dad about the bag of money that landed on Damian's fort (due to the taxes). Anthony tells various white lies to cover the boys' newfound money. We see brief flashback or imagined footage of a robbery in a train station where there's some struggling, pushing and a person hitting another with a bat to steal a bag of money. Once Damian learns that his newfound money was not sent by God but rather was tossed out of a moving train by a robber, he wants to give it back. Anthony, however, says that the officials are going to burn it anyway, so it doesn't matter. To get out of a tight spot, Anthony implies that the local Mormons may know something about the stolen money since they've recently gone on a buying spree (from money that Damian secretly stuffed into their mail slot). The boys tells more white lies, such as about them being in their school's nativity play (although they eventually are in it). The stranger acts menacingly toward the boys, wanting their money. Realizing the money the boys found is going to be worthless in another day, the boys, their father and Deborah rush around town trying to exchange as much of it as they can (rather than turning it in). FRIGHTENING SCENES We see a bloody handshake and then see that Damian is chatting with a saint who says he was beheaded back in his day (and he has a big scar around his neck). This might be unsettling for some younger kids. Some ominous music plays as a stranger appears on the scene and then hangs around after Damian tells him that he has a lot of money to give him. Anthony accompanies Damian back to his fort and leaves a large jar full of change, hoping that will appease the grubby stranger. We see the stranger scoping out the school during a play in the auditorium. He's in a dark class, confronts Damian and then goes through various bags looking for the money. Damian returns to his family's former and now empty home, unaware that the stranger has followed him there. The man's hand then suddenly blasts through the door's mail slot and Damian runs and hides in the attic. We hear a heartbeat sound on the soundtrack, the kid's cell phone suddenly rings and we see the shadow of a man approaching the attic. The boy screams as the attic access opens, but it's just Damian's father. Damian hears a sound in the attic above him, and the stranger then slowly comes down into his room and confronts the scared boy, telling him to have the money for him at a set point in the near future. As some ominous music plays on the soundtrack and we hear some heavy breathing sounds, the stranger is suddenly behind Damian in a department store. Damian gets a call from the stranger to meet him at the door with the money in 10 minutes. When Damian then goes to that door, he finds many people there wanting money, rather than the stranger. The stranger grabs and picks up Anthony, demanding to know where Damian is. Damian is nearly hit by a passing train on some railroad tracks. GUNS/WEAPONS None. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Bloody," "Spot on," "Bastard," "Blimey," "Piss off" and "You're a looney." Anthony tells Damian that they can milk the fact that their mother is dead (people give them things and treat them nicely when the brothers tell others). Some kids apparently show off their bodies to other kids (possibly for money), with some girls giggling over the sight (but we don't see anything). Damian lies about having to pee (to make those exchanging money for Deborah forgo their restrictions and just get her and the boy through the line as fast as possible). Damian burns a lot of money on some railroad tracks. JUMP SCENES A man's hand suddenly blasts through a door's mail slot. A cell phone suddenly rings in a suspenseful scene as Damian hides in the attic from the stranger. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes" and "My God." SEX/NUDITY In a commercial for the monetary transition over to the Euro, we see a buxom woman in a Christmas-type outfit that shows off her abundant cleavage. We see her several more times in the same outfit, still sporting cleavage. In one, the man with her grabs and kisses her (briefly seen). Some kids apparently show off their bodies to other kids (possibly for money), with some girls giggling over the sight (but we don't see anything). We see an ad of a woman in a swimsuit (showing some cleavage), with Damian saying she's nice, but Anthony saying he's seen better. He then pulls up a website that shows close-up photos of women in their bras (with accompanying cleavage). Anthony says, "You can see it," Damian asks, "What is it?" and Anthony replies that it's a nipple (we can see the shape of it through the bra, but without any explicit details). He then says that they're for feeding babies, Damian asks if their mom had them, and Anthony says she did. Damian walks into his father's bedroom and finds his dad in bed with Deborah (who Ronnie has only just met). Both are under the covers, but we see that Ronnie is shirtless (and sex or fooling around is implied). SMOKING A saint smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that the boys' mother hasn't been dead too long, and then see that Ronnie has pillows lined up to stand in for the presence of her in his bed (but not much grief is on display in the film). Damian asks all of the saints he meets (in his imagination) whether they've yet met St. Maureen (his dead mother), adding that she hasn't been there long. Ronnie (upset about their home being ransacked) tells Damian that no one is looking down on them, that their mother is dead, and that neither they nor he will ever see her again. Damian ends up in the department store where his mom used to work. Anthony is upset that Deborah is in the picture (he thinks as his mother's replacement). Damian's dead mother visits Damian (either in reality or just his imagination) and they chat for a bit, with him saying he hasn't been worried about her, but has just been missing her. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The monetary conversion of various European currencies to the Euro. The concept of money and what it does to different people (how they view and use it, etc.). Death of a parent and the aftermath (but there isn't too much focus on that here). What you'd do if such a windfall literally fell into your lap. Some Mormons state that if you give everything away, you can't be robbed. Ronnie (upset about their home being ransacked) tells Damian that no one is looking down on them, that their mother is dead, and that neither they nor he will ever see her again. Anthony is upset that Deborah is in the picture (he thinks as his mother's replacement). The comment that money makes it harder to see what's what. VIOLENCE We see brief flashback or imagined footage of a robbery in a train station where there's some struggling, pushing and a person hitting another with a bat to steal a bag of money. The family returns to their new home, only to find that it's been ransacked. The stranger grabs and picks up Anthony, demanding to know where Damian is. Reviewed February 9, 2005 / Posted March 18, 2005

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

All Rights Reserved,
©1996-2012 Screen It, Inc.