US critics hail Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire

FILM critics have given their final answer. They have voted Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle's movie about an Indian boy on quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, the best movie of the year.

The Critics' Choice award - along with four others for the film - catapults Slumdog Millionaire to the status of Oscar favourite. Boyle was also named best director at the ceremony in California, while the film's star, Londoner Dev Patel, 18, was voted best young actor.

Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the Full Monty, won best writer for his screenplay while AR Rahman completed the rout by picking up best composer.

The Critics' Choice ceremony is the first of the awards season and a decent predictor of Oscar success. In the past 10 years, best movie and best director winners have gone on to win the Oscars 70 per cent of the time.

Slumdog Millionaire, which opens in Britain today, tells the story of an orphan from the Mumbai slums who is one question away from winning the jackpot on Who Wants to be a Millionaire when he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. The film has been universally praised by critics.

Boyle, who received his award from Dustin Hoffman, told the audience: "It's amazing to see how generous you have been to our film. Mumbai has had a tough time recently. And the film was made as a love song to that amazing, extraordinary city. They will be so chuffed to hear about this."

Patel was in London and not at the Santa Monica ceremony - and neither was Kate Winslet, who scooped best supporting actress for her portrayal of a concentration camp guard in The Reader. Winslet, 33, was in New York on a night-time chat show. There was disappointment for Hollywood's golden couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Jolie, star of The Changeling, struggled to raise a smile after she lost out in the best actress category to Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway who were joint winners. Hathaway, who won for Rachel Getting Married, said: "I'm so happy my gums are receding."

Pitt's movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had led the field with eight nominations but was snubbed and came away with nothing. Best actor went to Sean Penn for playing gay politician Harvey Milk in the movie Milk, underlining his status as hot favourite for the Oscar. Penn said the real Milk would have been his first choice for the role. "He had the charisma that an actor can only aspire to," he said. Best supporting actor was Heath Ledger, who died of a drug overdose last January, for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. The award was greeted with a standing ovation.