Second Chances

Have you ever watched a movie that was just plain awful, but when you watched it a second time you loved it? Sometimes movies deserve second chances to fully appreciate them. But movies aren't the only things that deserve second chances.

After the first time I watched Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, I didn't like it all. I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it because critics and everyone I talked to really enjoyed the movie. Soon after I watched it, The Academy Awards was on TV and Slumdog Millionaire ended up winning 8 awards and 2 of those included Best Director and Best Picture. Now I am not saying that the Academy always picks the right films for the Best Picture winner, but I still felt that I missed something the first time I watched Slumdog. A few months later, my friends and I decided to watch(you guessed it) Slumdog Millionaire. I was on the fence about watching it again but I gave in and decided to give the movie a second chance. After Slumdog's credits rolled(again), I was in love. Apparently I wasn't using my eyes the first time I watched it because the film is absolutely beautiful(even if the setting is in the slums of India). The movie is beautiful with its vibrant colors and wonderful story about brotherhood, finding love, dealing with life's struggles, and destiny.

The only thing I can think of to blame why I didn't like the movie the first time is because of one word: marketing. The poster and the trailer for Slumdog Millionaire are very misleading. Both give the impression that it is, as the poster says, the "feel-good movie of the decade." If you have seen the movie, you know that is not 100% true. The movie may end on a good note but the events leading up to it are sad, violent, and dark with a few moments of happiness here and there. So why does the poster and trailer make it seem like a happy movie? Marketing for the movie obviously wanted to attract people to see the movie so it could make money. Nobody would have wanted to see the movie if the poster just had a bunch of kids standing on a pile of trash in the middle of India's slums. It's understandable why it was marketed this way, but it is unfortunate that it was falsely advertised. Perhaps they should have made the R-rating a little bigger on the poster.

Another movie that I would like to give another chance is The Hurt Locker. The marketing for director Kathryn Bigelow's war movie was also very misleading. The Hurt Locker's trailer makes it look like a typical explosive action movie filled with violence. Since the movie was getting alot of hype, I decided to watch it but it wasn't an action movie at all. The movie builds upon tension with very few explosions and gun fights. I am not saying that the lack of action scenes is a bad thing, I was just very misled by trailers and TV commercials. The Hurt Locker was a much deeper movie than it was portrayed with its theme of the addiction and struggles of being in the field of war. Because I was also misled with Slumdog Millionaire, I plan on giving The Hurt Locker another chance.

Giving these movies second chances helped remind me that sometimes I need to give people second chances too. Sometimes the appearance(marketing) of people can be misleading of who they really are underneath. I know that sounds really cheesy, but it's true! There is always that person that dresses different from the norm that makes you think "That kid is WEIRD!" But I always try to remind myself that I need to give them a second chance, like I did with Slumdog Millionaire. Sometimes people seem to be marketing a certain type of behavior but if you really get to know them you may find a deeper meaning to their personality. I always feel bad for the kid that sits alone in a room because that is the kid that hasn't gotten a second chance, even though he or she deserves it. I just feel like everyone(including) myself could really be missing out on a relationship with a really cool person. Second chances sometimes help us see the unseen. That's why I appreciate giving Slumdog Millionaire a second chance. I could have let myself out on a really wonderful movie had I let my first judgement of the movie get the better of me. Don't let marketing mislead you, or you may miss out on a beautiful film or worse, a beautiful person. God gives second chances, why shouldn't we?