Anish Misra The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a film directed by John Madden. Since the film was with me in my DVR, I decided to give this a watch with no hopes. But at the end of it, I felt very satisfied.Plot: A group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, run by the young and eager Sonny.Story and direction: If I do watch it from a story point of view, it isn't ground-breaking in any way. The film has the most predictable story ever. We have a couple facing issues, an old man finding a perfect mate for himself, a woman who is fearful of almost everything, etc.. These themes have been dealt with in ample number of films. But what attracted me to this film more is the setting and the characters. The characters of the film make the story so believable that you can forget the story for some time and enjoy the flow of the movie. India is shown in the best way possible. I being an Indian was happy in the ay India was depicted here. It showed me the real India. The atmosphere and climate of the film instantly attracted me. Ben Davis has done a wonderful job of capturing the very essence of India. Thomas Newman's score also adds to the beauty of the film. He scores the film the way A R Rahman would have scored it. Performances: This film is filled with wonderful performances. Judi Dench just lives her role and it is always a treat to watch her perform. The same can be said for Maggie Smith. Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton play the most realistic husband-wife with ease. Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie also complemented the film. Diana Hardcastle gave a compelling performance. Tom Wilkinson made us believe in his character by his incredible performance. Dev Patel and Tina Desae gave earnest performances. It was good to see Lilette Dubey too. The other local Indian actor added to the beauty of this film.Favorite Scene: It would be the one where Douglas comforts Evelyn much to the chagrin of his wife, Jean. It showed the bond that formed between the characters Douglas and Evelyn very nicely.Verdict: With its stellar performances and its premise, if the film would have worked on the story going rather an unconventional route rather than the route that has been taken several times, the film would have worked wonders. Nevertheless, I had a good time watching the film.I am going with an 8/10.

quarterwavevertical "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" was recently shown on one of the cable channels I get here at home and the only reason I watched it was because it had been advertised on PBS's "Masterpiece" a few years ago.If you've seen movies such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral", then you can pretty much figure out what the general plot is about. Take a disparate group of people, put them in a similar setting, throw in a few minor incidents in the plot, have one of the main characters die, and you've pretty much figured it out. The only major differences between TBEMH and FWAAF are the characters and the setting. Others than that, if you've seen one, you can easily skip the other.It's a pity that such talented actors such as Dame Judy Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson are wasted in this. The general plot format isn't new, either, going back to movies such as "Grand Hotel".TBEMH might make for a nice date movie, but that's about it. It's not worth a second viewing.

eric262003 A group of elderly British people redistribute their retirement funds and settle in the more frugal, but exotic location in Jaipur, India. Under very convincing circumstances through the advertising, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel guarantees you you live like you were in paradise. However, when these elderly people arrive, the Hotel was anything but what the adverts said even though the owner Sonny (Dev Patel) provides optimism and great hospitality to these retirees. And though they were not given the paradise they were expecting, they soon start to garner life-changing experiences.There are several themes to "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" which include follow your destinies, accept the changes in your life and memorizing famous quotes from Kipling are some of the many features to this funny, sometimes sad but mostly optimistic tale situated in the heart of the vibrant colourful landscapes of India. Based off of a novel by Deborah Moggach, "These Foolish Things", the lives of these elderly people are brought into an atmosphere that spells opportunity even if they have to go through some stages in their lives that are not always flattering. The gears of the story shift around taking risks and earning the love as each character must go through on their journey in which secrets come out, self-esteem comes with a price and acceptance is a must. It's an engaging film with subtle humour as it cools the heated climate as each patron goes on their initiative to search for happiness.In the early scenes, we are introduced to the characters who find each other as they all check into India's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel where everything looks exquisite and luxurious and run by an energetic hotel manager Sonny (Dev Patel). We have housewife Evelyn Greenslade (Judy Dench) who had to sell her home to pay off her late husband's debts and serves as a narrator throughout the film. Former judge Hon. Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) decides to finally retire in a country where he spent his first 18 years there. Then you have the eternally arguing married couple Douglas and Jean Ainslie (Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton) who don't have much money going for them because of Doug's investing went towards their daughter's internet business. Then you have bigoted Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) who needs inexpensive hip replacement surgery pronto. Then there's Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) wants to look for another man and want to escape her daughter's wraith of acting like a free babysitter. And finally Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) who denies his age and has a lust for younger women seeks India for a better catch.Trouble wastes no time here as the seven of them wind up on a crammed bus after the pick-up bus from the airport never arrives and their luggage gets thrown over carelessly. To makes matters worse, the hotel the guarantees luxury and splendor is anything but. It's dusty, condemned, infested with cockroaches and phones that don't operate. But the cheery Sonny promises everything is going to be fine which in subliminal terms means no everything is bad, but it's not the end of the line and that Kipling's quote that even disasters can have its hidden triumphs if you think with the glass half full.The guests each have provocative contrary looks and opinions about their surroundings. Graham who has more experience about India has his mindset on something extraordinary. Muriel feels she's in the threshold of hell and while Joan feels this place is a dump and is quite vocal about it. Smith has a ball with those witty one-liners she delivers and with ease especially with the news that her hip surgery is in six months. Jean complains about the hotel which gives Douglas the chance to embrace the smiling youngsters while visiting the ancient temples. And while Evelyn adjusts to her new surroundings, Madge and Norman are out soul-searching on their own.What makes this story stand out is that just when we think that the guests have gotten their lives planned out for them, director John Madden pulls a fast one on us. The cinematography is quite realistic as we explore the richness of Indian culture and the bustling of the city streets. We can feel the steamy air in our nostrils and the markets and stands are providing us with intricate colours and gorgeous flowers blossom wherever you go. You can sense the aura of India as you travel the city by walking or by a rickshaw as you see peddlers, skinny cows and heavy traffic in the downtown core.Every performer was excellent in their respected roles, especially from Dench, Nighy and Wilkinson and Patel was remarkable as a hotel manager who is in love with a pretty lady named Sunaina (Tena Dusae). The most memorable scene takes place at the call centre's stairwell where he displays his true feelings to her is funny. There's a nice balance of lightly done scenes and the more sentimental ones. Though it's for a mature audience, a little humour an inquisitive mind and bit of soul you'll find this film very enjoyable.

nzpedals So, a bunch of unbelievable English people head off to India for obscure and trivial reasons. India, a place where "yes" really means... "I don't know, but you expect me to say yes, and so I will", a place where business ethics in the street are about as rotten as in the boardrooms of London.But Judi Dench is imperious and gives huge status to the whole film. The rest, irrespective of good and great acting, are unreal. They traipse through their surroundings in a pointless, meaningless way that is not entertaining, and hardly rates calling it a story at all.So why rate it as high as a 3? Well, there are some great one-liners, ie, "Door is coming soon, most definitely", and the performance of Dench is worth an extra point.