Bovie Movie

This nutty British comedy observes with jet black humor the myriad of outrageous calamities that befall an eccentric English clan with more than a few skeletons in its closets, when its patriarch dies an unexpected death. Soon, every complication imaginable - including the wrong corpse in the coffin, the accidental consumption of hallucinogenic drugs and the disclosure of the deceased’s closeted homosexuality - befall the grief-stricken mourners. The funeral commences at the family estate, with the arrival of younger son Daniel (Matthew MacFayden), a Manhattanite who has long felt uncomfortable around his cocky, licentious novelist brother Robert (Rupert Graves) - and thus dreads seeing him. Meanwhile, Daniel is also struggling to adhere to promises he’s made to his wife (Keely Hawes). Also arriving at the house are cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) and her intended, Simon (Alan Tudyk), who embarrasses just about everybody, including himself, by accidentally consuming a strange drug that imparts him with wild delusions and gives him an uncontrollable penchant for exhibitionism. But the event that truly turns the family members onto their ears is the arrival of a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who speaks openly of the patriarch’s secret passions, which included dressing up in a kinky gladiator outfit and watching young men skinny-dip. Frank Oz (In and Out, Bowfinger) helms; Dean Craig authored the script.

Director Danny Boyle revisits a theme from his Shallow Grave and Trainspotting days — greed — but focuses on a much younger protagonist with this comedy drama. Millions opens with recent widower Ronnie (James Nesbitt) moving his two precocious pre-pubescent sons to the suburbs. Missing his mother and the comforts of his old neighborhood, the young Damian (Alex Etel) builds a cardboard-box fort on the outskirts of the suburb, where one day his placid introvert existence is literally crushed by a giant gym bag full of thousands of pounds’ worth of cash. Less concerned with the origin of the money than with how to spend it, Damian and his older brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), decide to keep it a secret from their father, which becomes an increasingly tricky proposition as the days pass. His conscience getting in the way of his spending, Damian debates the ethics of his ill-gotten gains with a handful of imaginary saints, and begins to try to spend his cash a little more altruistically. But his charitable deeds inadvertently attract the attention of a mysterious, threatening man who’s desperate to get his hands on the money. Marking a distinct change of pace for Boyle after the horror film 28 Days Later, Millions world-premiered at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival.