Film Review – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is the dream of a young Indian man Sonny (Dev Patel) who wants to build an idyllic home “for the elderly and the beautiful” in Jaipur, India. His dream eventually becomes a reality when a group of British seniors arrive to set up home, but the hotel is not quite ready for their arrival and the culture shock is more than some of the hotel’s residents can handle.

Based on the book by Deborah Moggach, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel boasts a veritable elite of British acting talent including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup and the experience and class of the older generation is brilliantly mirrored by the enthusiasm and ambition of the younger generation. Sonny is trying to find his way in the world and prove himself to his traditional family.

Each resident has their reasons for emmigrating whether it be financial, medical or emotional. As they start to become friends and talk to each other, their true selves are revealed piece by piece, offering great depth to this character-driven plot. Muriel (Maggie Smith) is forced to go to India for hip-replacement surgery but hates foreigners and can’t survive without her tea, biscuits and Branston pickle, Evelyn (Dame Judi Dench) is looking for meaning after the death of her husband and Graham (Tom Wilkinson) is returning to India to find the man he loved forty years ago.

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs Brown) the film manages to retain a truly British feel even while it’s set thousands of miles away. While the story is a lovely one, it would not have had any real pull to the cinemas were it not for it’s staggeringly impressive cast. It would most certainly have been a nice film to watch at home one evening on TV. Much like with Charlton Heston’s cameo in Wayne’s World 2 however, Dench, Nighy, Wilton and co offer something magical to the screen that is only heightened at the cinema.

Though The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is largely about people of retirement age, the message of the film applies to all ages. People are often more free and more their true selves when travelling as they don’t have their usual everyday burdens weighing them down and in looking at this element of their move, the filmmakers have honed in on something with universal appeal. The people in the hotel are not just on holiday, they are starting over, dealing with whatever has brought them there and trying to find new passions and new reasons to go on with their lives. It is a bold and courageous move for each of them – and one that some take to far easier than others.

The film’s setting is absolutely stunning and shows many sides to India, from the beautiful and vibrant colours of the markets and the cultural history of the buildings to the overcrowded transport network and the poverty of many of the country’s residents.

A courageous and powerful film with subtle but stunning performances from all concerned.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel hits UK cinemas 24 February 2012.

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