Review of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) by Andy S — 08 Jan 2013

This is a film I have been looking forward to seeing for some time now. I donâ(TM)t know if it was the fact that it did gain a little critical acclaim, or possibly the fact that my late mother would have loved it. But needless to say I was very happy to see it finally appear in the TV listings this week. I wasnâ(TM)t disappointed; the film definitely lived up to expectations without getting too sentimental. Hereâ(TM)s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

A disparate group of, letâ(TM)s say, the older generation, find themselves as guests at â~The Best Exotic Marigold Hotelâ(TM) in India for a variety of reasons; I wonâ(TM)t go into them here. The hotel is run by a young man, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), who has great ambitions for the hotel his father had once run. The guests; Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench), Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson), Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy) and his wife Jean (Penelope Wilton), Muriel Donnely (Maggie Smith), Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) and Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) are all there for different reasons. Some financial, for some itâ(TM)s an adventure, some looking for ghosts of the past, one is even there for an operation; but they all have some reason to be there. Some take to live in India well, while others take time to find their feet; which is not surprising as life there can be quite chaotic! As time passes we learn more about the residentsâ(TM) loves and hates and more about Sonny, who has problems with his mother and with the girl he loves.

Beautifully shot showcasing all the vibrancy of life in an Indian city; I was impressed with the look of the film. All the performances were excellent, with Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson standing out; I thought Dev Patel was a tad underused though. I liked the fact that the writers didnâ(TM)t pull too many punches and as such it made the main characters more believable. There was, however, just one niggle; I felt that Dev Patelâ(TM)s character, Sonny, came over as a bit of a caricature rather than a more rounded character. Over all though, I have to say I enjoyed this one and would happily sit down and watch it again sometime.

SteelMonsterâ(TM)s verdict: RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.7/10.