The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Dev Patel, Maggie Smith

Director: John Madden


John Madden (director of Shakespeare in Love) is back in the spotlight. His latest film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (TBEMH) promises an exemplary set of British actors, vibrant Indian locations and the kind of light comedy that will allure a family audience.

The entire cast is introduced in a breezy and a rather interesting prologue. We meet the old British folks, all of whom have their own personal reasons to leave town. There is the widow in debt (Judi Dench), the retired barrister (Wilkinson) whose life has come to a standstill, a bickering couple (Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton) who’ve lost their lifetime investments in their daughters failed business, a gold digger (Celia Imrie) who wishes to be married again, a free-spirited Ronald Pickup who wishes to touch the ‘tip of the iceberg’ in bed before his dying day arrives and a nagging old lady (Maggie Smith) who desperately needs a cheap hip-replacement surgery. These disgruntled senior citizens are co-incidentally lured by a brochure of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. But to their shock and dismay, they arrive to find a defunct, ruin of a hotel run by Sonny (Dev Patel) – a sweet kid who dreams to make it big in life. 

TBEMH is enjoyable in parts, especially the first half which is filled with exceptional British humour. The film has a surprising tenderness about aging and a few delicately handled romances that allow the performers to open up with remarkable ease. However, in entirety the film suffers due to its generous run time (close to 180mins). The movie that runs in the first half, fails to take off in the second. Also, In order to tell the stories of eight lost souls, the movie takes the melodramatic route to arouse your interest. Rather than paying heed to character development, it emphasises on placid situations and symbolic shots. This leaves plenty of room for every character and storyline to develop. It almost feels like the director took the easy way out and did not do justice to the story.

Director John Madden is skilled in telling stories with an ensemble cast (The Debt, Proof). With TBEMH he challenges his forte and goes one step ahead. His film boasts of some of the finest English actors that make this movie look better than it actually is. Each and every actor, from Judi Dench to Dev Patel, has delivered a wonderful performance.

The film may not be great but it’s good enough to satiate your taste. It has a zest to charm you and just enough talent to accomplish that.