LOL/WTF: Slumdog Millionaire's U.K. Bus Advertising Completely Desecrates The Film
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Readers of /Film know that I've been championing Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire like it's going out of style. In response, I've gotten dozens of e-mails/voicemails from pleased moviegoers, thanking me for recommending the film. While every one of these e-mails makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, I particularly enjoyed one e-mail I read just this morning from U.K. /Filmcast fan, Tom:
"Whilst I have seen other films on the Slash Filmcast's recomendation (as well as TV, yes The Wire is awesome), I felt a need to personally convey my thanks, because in this instance I also dragged my parents and girlfriend to see, none of which were madly enthusiastic about seeing Slumdog Millionaire. Needless to say they all came away loving it also, and now the words "Slash Filmcast" carry far more weight in conversation.
I feel one of the biggest problems with the film is the advertising. The most the majority of people have heard or seen about the film here in the UK is this awful bus poster:
Had it not been for the Slash Filmcasts recommendation, I would have thought this film of the same stock as Notting Hill' or Confetti. Whereas Slumdog is a feel good film, it deals with real world, brutal issues of poverty and cruelty, rather than a simple 'will-they, won't-they' romantic line."
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I don't know about you guys, but when I see that bus poster, I'm overcome with a lot of emotions: Fear. Confusion. Outrage. Amusement. Bemusement. Anticipation for the film, however, is not one of them. This poster actually kind of reminds me of The Last King of Scotland DVD cover, which makes out murderous dictator Idi Amin out to be a happy-go-lucky romantic. I'm not too crazy about the original Slumdog poster, but surely this bus poster is an abomination that must be stopped. Or am I overreacting?
Discuss: Would this bus poster make you want to see Slumdog Millionaire?