My gripe is the screenplay. Family greed and corruption is put squarely on the line by the departed multi millionaire's will. His last act and wish is to screw his corrupt family. The flip side of corrupt family is our hero Amal who is good natured beyond belief. So many plot holes. Amal drives his motorized richshaw but has no friends and enjoys no entertainment or social life. Just work and go home to mother who lovingly massages his feet. There is a woman but Jamal will not utter one social word to her. Do we expect 'she would really make the first move? Other then mother Theresa no one would help a stranger by signing over their means of livelihood, especially in India and especially when that means of that livelihood was inherited with love from one's father. I am thinking being jobless in India puts Amal and his mother at unacceptable risk. The movie emphasizes, against its will, that in an instant a great sum of money offers the only chance to survive. Amal tells us just how important money can be. The only question remaining is whether Jamal will have a shot at being Bill Gates of India,helping countless thousands of lives or will greed and corruption and even sordid crime be rewarded.While Jamal's love is as real as Gates and Melinda the immense good he could do with millions is another reality tossed at us throughout the film. For me this roller coaster crashed and burned.

I saw this film during an Air Canada flight (thanks to their private screens for every seat). My favorite films are always the ones without special effects. Simple story and great actors make a good film and Amal is very very good for all who appreciate this type of movie. I saw a short version and the long one which was much better since it lets you know more about Amal, the main character. Thank you for the magical moment when the old man sings the poetic song in the restaurant, very moving. It almost goes too far preaching about the goodness of being poor, and the greed of the rich. But the cinematography, the music and the location help me enjoy every minute of it.

When I saw Amal, I noticed that some people found the ending disappointing. I knew exactly why this happened: The majority of the world thinks that money and happiness are basically equivalent. I can see why it has a 6.1/10 user rating because there are those who love it and those who hate it.Then, I read this: "It was was such a disturbing twist to me, because of how I had grown up," Richie Mehta said, referring to his self-described middle-class background growing up west of Toronto. "What I had been taught what success was … this story was a slap in the face to that." ~From http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tiff/story/2007/09/10/tiff-amal-mehta.html

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8n0VydHysI really liked this film too. Story was just so good, it leaves you saying, "But, wait...!" Rupinder Nagra was great. Very understated. And I liked the young girl in it as well. It has some really funny moments, too, but it doesn't try too hard and push for the laughs, they are just right. No wonder it was in the TOP 10 FILMS of 2007. I agree with that distinction. Apparently it made quite a splash at TIFF '07, although I missed it there, and am kicking myself. We should all be supporting Canadian movies like this to continue being made. Its being released in major cities this weekend on August 8th, like Toronto and Vancouver where they can count on me to be watching it.