THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is proof positive that you
don't need all the things Hollywood thinks you do to make a great movie. You
don't need naked actors, explosions, violence or nubile young starlets. When
you make a movie with heart, with feeling and emotion, you make something that
can stand the test of time rather than just the number of weeks it can hold a
top spot on the charts.
The plot behind the story involves a number of elderly Brits
who for one reason or another find themselves seeking a different means of
living on what little they have. Evelyn (Dame Judi Dench) has just lost her
husband only to find he left her with enough debt that she must sell their
flat. Graham (Tom Wilkinson) is a judge who decides the time is right to retire
before he becomes the old fogey giving a boring retirement speech. Douglas and
Jean (Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton) are a retiring couple who may have lost
everything investing in their daughter's internet company. Norman (Ronald
Pickup) is an older gent wanting to feel young just one more time. Madge (Celia
Imrie) is an woman searching for one last rich husband. And Muriel (Maggie
Smith) is an elderly woman in need of a hip replacement who can either wait 6
months or get immediate attention in India, the location that all of these
people decide to go to.
Having read about the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel via
brochure, they become traveling companions on their way to a new adventure.
Unfortunately the hotel isn't quite what it pretended to be. Sonny (Dev Patel)
is the son of the now deceased owner who is trying to make the hotel what his
father once dreamed of. But rather than just becoming a place for tourist, the
hotel caters to the elderly looking for a place to stay either short term or until
the end. But none here are close to that, at least not in spirit.
Each character has their own story. Evelyn is the center
piece, giving us background as she starts a blog to let folks back home know of
her adventures. She goes so far at to take a job helping a phone sales group
understand how to talk to English people. Norman is there to rekindle something
that happened in his past, something that happened in this very town.
Douglas finds himself fascinated with the area and attempts
to absorb each and every item he can see and experience. His wife Jean is just
the opposite, choosing to stay in the hotel and complain about each and every
thing that happens. She's an unhappy woman and lets everyone know about it.
Madge and Norman both gravitate to the local posh club in town where they hope
to meet someone and find their fortunes at getting lucky improve. Muriel is
another complainer but hers is more along the lines of prejudices against the
people of India that are based more on what she's heard than what she's
experienced.
Interwoven in the guests stories is that of Sonny who has
chosen to make his father's dream come true. In love with a local girl that his
mother decides is unsuitable for him to marry; he must either decide to follow
his heart or his family.
The movie moves along at an even pace, never rushing through
one story or another and blending each of them together smoothly rather than
place each in a time limit only to go to the next. Even though they all have
their tale to tell, the fact that they've chosen to become best friends (in
some cases eventually) shows who these people are. And while their trip to this
country at first seemed due to a case of need, they soon find themselves
enchanted by the area they've chosen as their new home.
The sights and sounds of India are on display here from
moment to moment. Not just the grand and glorious colors and images that seem
beautiful but the poorer sections as well. This feels more like the real India
and not just a travelogue showing us the best. And the characters experience it
just as much as the viewer.
The idea of getting older, of not knowing what your future
holds or how long you have to enjoy that future is what makes this film work.
We're presented with different ways of looking at life here, good and bad, and
how the characters choose what path to take. The acting is superb but why
wouldn't it be with the talent pool collected here. Not one actor slips or
slides in this film where each shines instead.
It's time for a feel good movie. And this one suits that
need. It won't have you sitting on the edge of your seat, but it will hold your
attention from start to finish. And perhaps when it ends, you'll hope that your
life comes to the same wonderful world that these folks enjoy.
Click here to order.
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