Millions (2004)

Alex Etel is really quite good in this daft tale of, almost literally, manna from heaven. It's the day before the UK joins the Euro (so, yes - it's a fantasy/horror story depending on your perspective) and from the sky falls a bag of used twenties. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth. Now he ("Damian") and his pal "Anthony" (Lewis McGibbon) are honest sort of lads - though not take it to the police station sort of honest - and they decide that they can become the benefactors for some people and institutions who need a bit of help. Clearly, though - they can't distribute it all in time, so they gradually start to include their friends and family in the disposal of their largess and that's when the story starts to take on a more critical aspect. We see humanity in many of it's guises emanating when lucre is involved - and some of that behaviour isn't so charming. The writing is often quite pithily amusing - the young lad has an habit of talking to saints, to whom he attributes his windfall, and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce quite cleverly uses this innocence and generosity of spirit to create a template for a look at just how we react when money is the raison d'être - too little, too much, sharing, hoarding, stealing... This is a well delivered testament to the acting talents of the two youngsters and to a bit of amusing, though-provoking, writing that I would not say is especially memorable - but it is enjoyable.