Not your normal family drama

"Millions" is one of those films that leave you feeling good when the end credits begin to role. It's disguised as a simple family film with the same generic ethical issues you might find in an after-school special, however, as the movie progresses and the plot unfolds, we are presented with something much more important and meaningful.\nThe film tells the story of two brothers Damian (Alex Atel) and Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) who, after moving to a new housing development with their father after their mother passes away, come across a bag filled with roughly 250,000 British pounds. With time running out before "E-Day" where the U.K. drops the pound and switches over to the euro (fictional of course), the boys have to decide what to do with the fortune. Anthony (the more materialistic brother) wants to hide the discovery from their father and spend the money, while the more spiritual Damian believes the money should be used to help people, particularly the poor. \nWhile at first this premise sounds like a simple ode to 1994's "child finds money, child spends money" family comedy "Blank Check," "Millions" sets out to do much more. Damian believes in saints, religion and living a good life and seems to have his own set of morals, which normally in a movie like this would have to be taught to him. \nDamian finds interesting ways to help people with his newfound fortune, never once deciding to use it for himself. Eventually, though, the original owners/thieves come searching for the loot.\n"Millions" is well-acted (Alex Etel makes the kid in "Finding Neverland" look like an amateur), has a great soundtrack and is visually stunning. It was directed by Danny Boyle, who seems an odd choice considering his past films dealt with issues such as drug addiction ("Trainspotting"), murder ("Shallow Grave") and zombies ("28 Days Later"). This fact, however, shows just how versatile Boyle is as a director.\nThe DVD for this film features a number of nice special features, some better than others. There are a handful of deleted scenes, some quite nice, others worthy of the cut. Boyle and screenwriter Frank Boyce give an interesting commentary track, and there are a few behind-the-scenes featurettes. Overall "Millions" is a wonderful family film that sets out to be much more than simply that, and ultimately succeeds.