The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Adapted from the book, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel focuses on a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to India. Enticed by ads for the newly restored and bargain-priced Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find their destination a sad shell of its former self. This might be the end of the line for some elderly Brits but when they’re played by Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, as well as Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy, you can bet that determination, cameraderie and love will conquer all — even hotel walls in desperate need of a lick of paint.
The Village Voice seems to sum it up pretty successfully: “The plot twists are about as venerable as the cast and predictably affecting when performed with such old-hand proficiency.” The New Yorker notes that the cast turns “an obvious idea into an emotional adventure guided by superb craftsmanship. Judi Dench delivers one of her most wide-ranging and moving performances.” But Time Out New York isn’t as impressed: “Mostly, we’re stuck watching U.K. cinema bright lights … navigating sub-sitcom scenarios that touch perfunctorily, sometimes borderline offensively, on issues of sexuality, soulmates and culture clash.” As hotel owners around the world know too well, you can’t please all the people all the time.
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