Tuesday 5 June 2012

Movie review of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  - 6.5/10
Directed by John Madden
Cast - Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson,Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith,Dev Patel

Plot Summary
A group of British retirees decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self.

Review
What got me interested in watching this movie was the cast.I didn't do any research nor did I watched the trailer at all.In fact I didn't even knew this was based on a book by Deborah Moggach. Now with a fantastic cast of British actors and actresses,The best exotic Marigold hotel is a simple yet heart warming movie.It is also funny as hell and the cast did a fine job of carrying the movie. Despite the plot being a little similar to Love actually,I still found this movie fun to watch. And its also evident that the cast were enjoying themselves in this movie.Now the "retirees" are all powerhouses.Judi Dench as a widow who is lonely and a little depressed. Tom Wilkinson, a judge who suddenly calls it a day and decides to go to India to look for someone from his past. Bill Nighy, a loyal husband who is in a relationship for 40 years with a wife who just harps on him all the fuck time(Penelope Wilton did a good job). Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie who just want to fuck and not be lonely.Maggie Smith who is a racist and she has to go to India for a hip replacement surgery. Yup, you read it right...Maggie Smith aka Professor Minerva McGonagall of Harry Potter fame as a racist. And it was Maggie Smith who stole the show.Every scene she comes in,you either laugh or feel sorry for her and she was brilliant.
Direction was good.John Madden did a fine job.I really liked the introduction scene in the airport where you will find all of them being together despite them being strangers and all.Also there was one beautiful shot where Tom Wilkinson's character meets his friend.That shot was so beautiful,it captured the emotions going through both of them. I didn't quite like the street and roads shots especially when they are in vehicles but still it really wasn't that bad. Script was wonderful, touching and filled with British humor. I also didn't quite like how the movie ended.I felt it was a little too rushed and the part where an old Indian man suddenly out of nowhere somehow makes everything OK between the young Indian couple acted by Dev Patel and Tena Desae.

That being said,I would still recommend everyone to watch this with a loved one, perhaps on a weekday or if you like subtle British humor.

Best quotes
Evelyn: Yes
[It is builder's tea]
Evelyn: , we dunk biscuits into it.
Sunaina's Brother: Dunk?
Evelyn: Means lowering the biscuit into the tea and letting it soak in there and trying to calculate the exact moment before the biscuit dissolves, when you whip it up into your mouth and enjoy the blissful union of biscuits and tea combined. It's more relaxing than it sounds.

Muriel: There's an Indian in my room!

Muriel: He's not gonna wash the colour off. (looking at the black surgeon washing his hands)

Orderly: My wife is from Mumbai.
Muriel: Well don't blame me, you married her!

Sonny: Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not the end.

Recommended movies done by the director
The Debt
Shakespeare in love
Proof