Millions – 2005 | 98 mins | Family Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Danny Boyle takes a detour from his more familiar gritty tales to direct this contemporary Christmas fairytale, yet Millions emerges as if it were a Children’s Film Foundation remake of Shallow Grave. Boyle’s whimsical film boasts his trademark visual flair and exudes the magical realism of a child’s imagination and sense of morality. Newcomers McGibbon and Etel provide excellent performances and a credible rapport with the latter virtually stealing the show with his innocent charm.

Starting life anew after the death of their mother, 2 brothers and their caring father Ronnie (James Nesbitt) relocate from their grim terraced home to a new address on a modern housing estate in Warrington. 9-year-old Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) is ever practical, while his 7-year-old brother Damian (Alexander Nathan Etel) uses imagination, fantasy, and faith to make sense of his confusing world. Damien is fixated with holy saints and when playing host to an imaginary St. Clare in his railside den, their conversation is broken as a suitcase full of money suddenly falls out of the sky.

Damien believes it’s a miracle from God, but his elder more practical brother Anthony realises the £229,000 windfall is something they should spend wisely without raising suspicion. After another imaginary visitation, this time from St. Francis of Assisi, Damien believes the money should help the poor and needy – and begins handing thousands of pounds to every charitable cause he encounters. In next to no time a sinister figure (Christopher Fulford) shows his face near Damien’s den – the crook that originally stole the money and threw it from a passing mail train. And now he wants it back.

Further problems arise with the reality that the UK is about to join the Euro and by the weekend the pound sterling will be worthless. Soon, the two brothers and their now enlightened father and girlfriend (Daisy Donovan) embark on a shopping spree to spend the cash before its redundant – meanwhile the crook ensures Damien knows he wants his money back.