Sunday 24 June 2012

Today's Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel


The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is like Love Actually, but with just a bunch of old people. Also less love, and set in India. So actually it is not like Love Actually, but it has got Bill Nighy in it, as part of a nice British ensemble cast.

So all these old guys play a bunch of old guys, who due to several different circumstances find themselves taking residence in a dilapidated retirement home in India, run by inept but determined young man Sunny (Dev Patel). After the inevitable culture shock, especially felt by massive racist Muriel (Maggie Smith), the residents begin to see the beauty of the country and its residents, and begin to see that their final days may not be as grim as they once thought.

Well, yes, that's pretty much the story, and we can probably all guess that everything will work out in the end, but this is a light hearted drama with a bunch of very good actors who all play their roles quite wonderfully. Muriel's transformation is probably the best of the bunch, but we also have Judi Dench's Evelyn, who's probably the most grounded of the lot. You probably couldn't ask for a better cast, and they even overshadow the shortcomings of the plot.

So yes, I enjoyed this. Not so much for the substance, but for the performances that made it, and the heartwarming moments that the cast created. It's not perfect, but it's a solid movie.

My rating: 4/5


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