Review No.23: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

As I arrived for my free preview screening of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel I thought there wouldn't be many people out and about on this cold Sunday morning but how wrong I was. Getting to my local Odeon I found a large queue outside the cinema of mainly more mature customers waiting to get in which isn't surprising seeing as the film is about characters in the latter stages of their life. The film is almost like The Expendables of seasoned British thespians with a cast including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton and Tom Wilkinson. The first scene we see is of Dench's widow Evelyn who is trying to sort out her internet provider now her husband has passed away as he left with a mountain of debt she has to move out of their home. Also suffering with money woes are Nighy and Wilton's married couple who invested all their money in their daughter's internet company and are still waiting to see the money. Celia Imrie plays a grandmother who wants to fly her wings while Ronald Pickup's Norman is still on the lookout for love. All of them are tempted to move away and find out about a luxury resort for people in their autumn years the only catch is that it is located in India. Wilkinson is also tempted by this offer as he grew up in India and has a secret that he's never told anyone and finally there's Maggie Smith's Muriel who is going to India for a different reason as she can get her hip operated on a lot quicker. They find out that the Marigold Hotel isn't what they thought as owner Sonny, Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel, is still desperately trying to renovate the establishment left to him by his late father. During their stay some of the characters find the joy they've been missing while others realise that it is time for the end of certain things and the affect that these residents have on Sunny is also a positive one as he makes a decision about his own future.

I can appreciate that this sort of film isn't for everyone and if you've already switched off during the plot synopsis then you'll have no interest in seeing this but I'm glad I saw it as I probably wouldn't have had it not been free. The best thing here is the performances but that's to be expected with the crop of acting talent available and standouts for me were Dench as the widow who is having to stand on her own two feet for the first time and Wilkinson a man who's been trapped by a secret which he is trying to put right with his return to India. Maggie Smith also does well with her woman who at the start is presented as a bit of a racist but as time goes on learns to appreciate the similarities between those she meets and her own life. But with five or six plotlines going on at once some characters get left in the shuffle with Imrie and Pickup getting the least screentime and Wilton being disserved with playing the pessimistic moaning woman a similar part to the one she portrayed in Calendar Girls. However within the script there is enough laughter and some tears to justify the moments when characters talk like no ordinary person would ever speak. John Madden's direction also picks up on the tourist culture of India and will probably see a lot more people think about holidaying in that area if they have enough cash. The transposition between old India and modern India is a theme here as is the question have you ever really lived even if you've grown old? This was a lovely old-fashioned film with a good story and some fine performances despite it being cheesy as well as slightly predictable it kept me smiling throughout as well as keeping my attention which a lot of films fail to do these days.

Verdict: While this isn't everybody's cup of English Breakfast Tea I personally found it engaging, well-acted and engaging so personally I'll award it a 7/10