The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) - Film Review

Starring: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith & Dev Patel

Screenplay: Ol Parker

Directed By: John Madden

Certificate: 12

 

There currently seems to be a growing tendency in mainstream cinema to primarily cater just to younger audiences, to the point where some parts of the industry seem to be becoming “youth-obsessed”. We have to simply ask the question: why? Following the release of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a film targeted primarily at older audiences, the industry got proof that there's still an older audience out there, as the film became a sleeper hit, grossing over $136m. The film may have been successful but will someone outside its target audience (e.g. someone in their late teens like me), still be able to identify and find favour with it?

 

Based off the book These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach, the film follows seven Brits with money troubles and little desire to stay in their country. Seeking an escape, the seven individuals travel to India to relocate to a retirement hotel, specifically the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Rather than the picturesque hotel they saw online, they find a dilapidated and run-down building, managed by the energetic and idealistic Sonny. Together, they each discover that love and life can be found again when you live for today and put the past behind you.

 

I have to admit that it wasn't the trailers that peaked my interest in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, as great as they were, but rather its cast. With names like Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and more – this is simply one of the strongest casts I've ever seen. There's some serious veteran acting talent in this film, and it's all over the screen to see. As far as filling the laugh quota goes, it's Maggie Smith that truly steals the show as Muriel. Muriel may start out as a racist character, but Maggie Smith makes her an endearing, funny presence, and it's genuinely gratifying to see her gradually overcome her prejudice. As well as Muriel, the pessimistic Jean and optimistic Douglas, played by Penelope Wilton and Bill Nighy respectively, make for a hilarious coupling. It's quite a different role for Penelope Wilton, at least compared to what I've seen her in before, whereas Bill Nighy is pretty much just himself (trust me, that's not a complaint at all). Another standout in this sterling cast is Dev Patel as the manager of the titular hotel. Dev Patel makes Sonny into an irresistibly charming and youthful presence, and he's easily the liveliest and most sympathetic character here. It's hard not to sympathize with his struggles against his mother and his girlfriend's brother.

 

A big part of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel's appeal is just how uplifting it is. It's a tale of escaping the mundane nature of day-to-day life – something I think we can all relate to in one way or another. Usually we find escapism in fantasy films, and while that's all well and good, it's worth remembering that we can find escapism in the real world simply by surrounding ourselves with another culture. India is a completely different and exciting world to what many of us will be used to, and we're completely put in the shoes of our seven hotel residents. Like Judi Dench's character, Evelyn, says: “Gradually you realize it's like a wave. Resist, and you'll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you'll swim out the other side”.

 

As much as I love the film's sense of escapism, the way it sets up its characters' move to India is a bit poor and underdeveloped. I fully understand Ol Parker's urgency to shift the action to India, but only the opening ten minutes are dedicated to showing and explaining why these characters choose to relocate there. With some, such as Evelyn, there's not much to explain: she is widowed, alone and has to sell her house to pay off her husband's debts. Who wouldn't want to escape that? However, in Muriel's case, no matter how badly she needs a hip operation, I can't see her moving without a lot more resistance, and similar things can be said about Jean. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel also makes it no secret that it relies on nearly every single cliché there is. I'm a romantic and a sentimentalist through and through, but when it comes to the romance in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, there were times where it felt a bit like an Indian version of Love Actually. To name but a few of the clichés found here, we have a romance between Sonny and Sunaina that Sonny's mother of course disapproves of, Sonny then later desperately rushing to confess his real feelings for Sunaina, Norman being unable to face up to his real age when talking to women, and plenty more. Whether or not things like this will bother you is a personal matter, but it's something to be aware of.

 

However, something the script is an expert at doing is balancing multiple subplots very well, and with great attention to detail in each. Part of this success can also be attributed to how distinguishable and talented each of the main cast are. Of course we have the main plot of everyone adapting to their new surroundings, but most of them get their own personal stories too. One of the most poignant, and certainly the one that stuck in my mind the most, was Graham's attempts to find the love of his early life from when he had lived in India as a teenager. I won't spoil it, but I will say that the way it was resolved managed to be stunningly beautiful yet heartbreaking. There's also a subplot about an implied romance between Evelyn and Douglas, and I really liked the way this was handled. It didn't need to be explicitly said or pointed out by anyone, it was all seen and conveyed through the performances.

 

It's impossible to talk about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel without also talking about just how amazing it looked. For a fairly low-budget film ($10m), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel triumphs on nearly every aspect of its production. The music is appropriately fitting to the setting, and it's no exaggeration to say that India looks beautiful, and done tremendous justice by director John Madden. India is a vibrant, bustling and colourful world, one that's teaming with life, and John Madden makes the absolute most out of the location shooting. It immerses you from start to finish and definitely lives up to the “exotic” in the title.

 

Overall, while The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel may be targeted to an older audience, something it definitely succeeds at, it's worth watching regardless of age. I've heard from people a similar age as me who really love this film, and it's not hard to see why. It's hardly groundbreaking storytelling, but the film is beautifully written and directed, and helped tremendously along the way by one of the strongest casts I've ever had the fortune of seeing. If ever you're feeling low or tired of the same old routine, let The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel remind you to welcome the unknown and live life while it's here. 

 

 

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

8/10