Music Composed by John Murphy
Rating: ***

Millions is an unlikely charming film from Trainspotting director Danny Boyle about two Irish children who stumble upon an enormous amount of money and attempt to keep it - think A Simple Plan, if somehow that film could be transformed from a traumatic tragedy into wide-eyed childhood wonder. For the score, Boyle once again turned to his 28 Days Later composer John Murphy, though I can’t imagine the two projects could be more different. Though his films tend to be driven by eclectic musical choices, Boyle seemed to at least partially desire a more traditional approach from Murphy this time. And in this case, traditional apparently means temp-tracking the entire film to Elfman’s Edward Scissorhands, because Murphy follows that score so closely you almost expect Edward Scissorhands to request a restraining order. That’s not to say his music is bad or without its delights, but probably the single most blatant rip that anyone has yet taken from a score that has been ripped quite a few times in the past 15 years.

There are two major themes at play, both meticulously modeled after the two major themes from Edward. The theme modeled after Elfman’s darker music box waltz opens the score, with glockenspiel, children’s voices, and pizzicato strings all imported directly. The theme modeled after Elfman’s sweeter (and more frequently mimicked) “Ice Dance” music enters in
“The Old House - In the Attic”, though this one is perhaps a trifle less obvious, playing with Elfman’s chord progression without outright quoting his melody. There’s little to the score outside of these two themes - one is almost always in the foreground, and there are few vignettes to break up that pattern. Indeed, there’s very little conflict or narrative arc to the score in general - with the exception of a few darker moments (”Ransacked”), Murphy generally restricts himself to light variations on Elfman’s themes.

Yet despite the almost total lack of anything resembling originality, I can’t deny that the score is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish. It’s entirely undemanding and yet thoroughly charming as a result. It may be borderline plagiarism, but at least he has good taste in what he plagiarizes and manages to maintain some of the magic from his source material. He also makes one subtle personal addition to the equation with a slight current of New Age/electronica accompaniment that actually augments the score nicely. “Moving In” in particular makes the score sound like the love child conceived between “Ice Dance” and Coldplay. And while it may lack a finish to rival Edward’s “Grand Finale,” the swells in “Mum / Parachutes to Africa” still make for a touching finish to the album and almost make you forget that you’ve heard this all before.

There are also eclectic songs scattered throughout the album, which fit the quirky tone of the film nicely but might play better programmed at the end of the score. The score itself would perhaps be easier to enjoy if somebody just gave Elfman credit for his themes, but Murphy has nevertheless has concocted a charming pastiche that should provide a brief guilty pleasure (the score itself runs under 25 minutes) for those of us with a penchant for whimsy. Just try to employ a little selective memory while listening.

Original Score Composed by John Murphy; Orchestra Conducted by Adam Stern; Orchestrated by Steve Bernstein; Engineered and Mixed by Doug Trantow; Availability: In print; Label (Catalogue): Milan Records, (MR-36116); Release Date: April 15, 2005

01. House Building (2′40)
02. Blackout - Performed by Muse (4′22)
03. St. Francis Of Assisi (1′21 )
04. Tumble And Fall - Performed by Feeder (4′22)
05. Moving In / Lost Boy 1 (4′08)
06. St. Nicholas / Damian and the Donkey Escape (1′46)
07. The Old House / In the Attic (3′04)
08. Hitsville U.K. - Performed by The Clash (4′24)
09. Chuggers / Sterling / Lost Boy 2 (5′12)
10. Brazil - Performed by S-Express (3′36)
11. Ransacked (2′09)
12. La Petite Fille de la Mer - Performed by Vangelis (5′48)
13. Mum / Parachutes To Africa (4′25 )
14. Nirvana - Performed by El Bosco (4′48)

Total Playing Time: 52′05