Report Card---"Lion"

I did not enjoy "Lion".
I'm generally not partial to anything Bollywood, going all the way back to "Slumdog Millionaire"..
"Lion" spends its first half smack in the middle of Bollywood.
The second half takes place in Tasmania, where we first see Nicole Kidman.
Things pick up at that point.  At least it's not Bollywood.
It's then, half-way through the movie that we learn that the first half takes place in 1987.
Why they kept us waiting all that time to learn this is anybody's guess.
In the interim the child who is the leading actor grows up to be Dev Patel, and it's twenty years later..

On to the scoring:   

Is it interesting?

Once they get to Tasmania.  It's too long to wait.
C.

Compelling even?

Not to me.
D..

Is it controversial?

No.
It's not about controversy..

Is it a story worth telling?

To some I suppose.
B.

Is it good storytelling?

It takes forever to get started.
C.

Is it well written?

I really couldn't tell.
B.

Is it well cast? Well played?

Nicole Kidman is the saving grace.
B+.

Well shot?

Tasmania looked good.  India didn't.
B.

Did the director put such a personal stamp on it so that no one else could have made it?

I have no way of knowing.
C.

How long does it take to establish the film's locale and time period?

W-a-a-a-y too long.
F.

Is it too long? Too short?

W-a-a-a-y too long.
D-.

Is it believable? Do you care about the characters?

Somewhat, and somewhat.
B-.

Is it predictable? Does it surprise you?

I just didn't care enough.
D.

Do you think about it after you've seen it?

I would have preferred sleepimg.
C-.

Is it funny?

Not at all.
F.

Would it have been worth the thirteen bucks it would have cost to see it in the movies?

Not any bucks.
F.

Is it impressive?

I'll give them ambitious.
B.

Overall grade: C-.

Spoiler alert:  There is no Lion in this film.  At the end we are informed that Lion was the actual translation of the lead character's name.  It's not worth hanging around for.
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My books, "Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
They are all compilations of blog entries that have since been removed from the blog.
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