poster for the best exotic marigold hotel The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Director: John Madden
Writers: Ol Parker, (based on the novel by) Deborah Maggach
Stars: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith
I’ve been going to a lot of movies lately, mostly science fiction/fantasy/adventure or the like, so I took time out this weekend to go to a showing of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel just for a change of pace. Even though it has been in theaters for several weeks, the showing I attended was packed (admittedly it was the Friday early evening show–date night). Everyone in the audience was having a good time–there was much laughing out loud in all the right places.

The film is an absolutely delightful experience, chock full of outstanding acting by a first-rate cast. In addition to top-billed Dench, Nighy and Smith, the impressive cast is rounded out by Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Celia Imre (Calendar Girls, another British drama I adore) and Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey and Calendar Girls).

The baseline story is about the “outsourcing” of retirees (with limited funding and therefore limited options) to the Marigold Hotel in India. While the hotel is not exactly what they expected, in typical British fashion they try to make the best of their circumstances. The audience is taken along with each of the characters on their voyage of self-discovery–they learn to see the beauty of the country, or rediscover it. Some find serenity, others meet new people and begin new relationships, and in one case, a job leads to a whole new outlook on life.

The common thread running through all of the stories in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is one of people helping people. From so simple a thing as helping a young boy with his cricket swing, to being kind to servants, to helping someone get a “date,” this group of disparate people becomes almost family-like by virtue of living in the hotel together. They come to share in one another’s conquests and failures–they become if not happy, at least content, in their retirement. They come to take joy in what they have.

The stellar performances make you really care about these people and where their lives are going. They elevate an otherwise ordinary script. You want everything to work out–for the characters, for the hotel, for the people they meet in India. It’s a lovely story of life and relationships and making the most of the hand you’ve been dealt.

For those who don’t want watch a slow-moving, emotional, beautifully-done drama, complete with high notes and low, and would rather see action! or a fantasy or sci-fi film, go to buzzymag and check out my reviews of Battleship, Men in Black III, or Snow White and the Huntsman. Up next, Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s return to the universe that gave us Alien.