Apr 1, 2012
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A group of old, retired British residents get a new lease of life and adventure when they make a trip to India and stay in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
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Evelyn (Judie Dench) has lost her husband of 40 years. Her loss is painful as she was dependent on him for everything. Even getting an internet connection is now a confusing task. Unable to bear her inability to cope with the loss, she decides to embark on a trip on her own, despite her son?s fears, to unknown India, because it is cheap and far removed from her comfort zone.
Jean (Penelope Wilton) and Douglas (Bill Nighy) have just lost all their savings in their daughter?s internet start up. With a meagre amount left, they are unable to come to terms with the mediocre houses they have to choose for retirement. Douglas suggests they take some time off and go someplace far, such as India.
?Muriel (Maggie Smith) needs her hip to be replaced. She is out of her job and has no one to take care of her. Her surgery has a wait list of 6 month and she is not sure she will last that long.? She is also very British with a deep-set prejudice of dark-skinned people. She is quite reluctant to follow the advice of her doctor to go to India for the treatment as it will be cheaper and immediate.
Graham (Tom Wilkinson) is feeling uncomfortable in the farewell get-together for a fellow judge. He knows the next one will be for him. A thought that does not sit with him comfortably and therefore makes up his mind to retire right there and then and head to India where he has unfinished business.
Madge (Celia Imrie) is tired of baby-sitting her grandchildren as it is keep her away from suitors. At her age, she wants a companion and much to the irritation of her son-in-law and daughter, she decides to take some time off from them and find a companion. She decides to take a trip to the most unlikely of places, India.
Norman (Ronald Pickup) is tired of speed-dating. He is not getting anywhere. Women know he is lying about his age as it is now quite visible on his face. He needs women and he decides to make a trip, to India as it will be cheap.
5 different individuals and 1 tired couple. All retired, nearing their last days of their lives, unsure of what they should be doing next. Yet, all want to live in comfort, warmth and be happy. India being a cheaper alternative and enamoured by the pictures and promises of the newly renovated The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, they all find themselves on a plane to Jaipur, India. They land in Indian noise, chaos and dust to find that their hotel is actually still partly renovated and run by a boisterous young manager Sonny (Dev Patel), who convinces them to stay and find out how the charms of the hotel and the mysticism of the place can rejuvenate their lives.
They do and that is the when the charming story actually begins. ???
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I was quite reluctant to watch this one. With a corny name and based in Indian topic, I was positive it would be slapstick, filled with Indian clich?s blah blah. Thought it would better to download later and give it a look when bored. Yet, I exited the theatre with a huge grin on my face having felt it was worth every dhiram spent. ?
Charming is the one word I would use to describe this film. The collection of individual stories that intertwine within the hotel premises, the interaction between the various characters who reside there, the various Indian snippets that move in and out of the story filling the cracks ? all add up to one good entertaining and humorous film.
Director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli?s Mandolin) directs with a purpose. He knows exactly how to turn the moment around, use the brightly coloured setting of Jaipur to intersperse the story with flavour. He shows you only what you need to see and hear. Nothing more, nothing less. It means as a viewer, you get to feel with each character. Evening handling sensitive topics, he does with such aplomb that it is difficult to believe it?s the same director. Be it an emotional moment for one British character?s dark secret from the past or the sensitive cultural conflux between an Indian parent and child. Even untouchablity as an issue is gently touched upon, leaving you with a great understanding of the Indian culture and setting.
Having said that, the most enlightening moments of the film are the dialogues. They are witty, full of humour and provide the right amount of relief during long scenes. Full credit goes to Ol Parker for the screenplay and Deborah Moggach for her novel on which this movie was based on. The only downside here is that for Sonny?s character is full of very verbose and sometimes tiring dialogues that could have been interspersed with a bit of Hindi to break the monotony. ?
The actors have all done a good job or portraying their respective characters. Judi Dench and Bill Nighy in particular. Bill is really good at invoking humour even when he is not saying anything. I just felt that Dev Patel was probably a wrong choice for the role as he comes across as over eager with a lot of over acting. And as mentioned before, he could have delivered some of his lines in Hindi which would have made me give this film 5 stars.
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This is one movie that comes around the corner and surprises you. As much as you would be reluctant to watch it one screen, you should go for it with your group for it will be fun. Lots of adult humour and understanding required, but plenty of entertainment promised.
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MPAA Rating: ?Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language
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