THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is, obviously, more likely to appeal to elderly people, however, this doesn't mean that a younger viewer won't enjoy it. The film doesn't offer anything groundbreaking in terms of storytelling, however, it's a sweet story about the senior set featuring a great cast of veteran actors including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and many others.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of British retirees who decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic Jaipur in India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

Films that feature a lot of characters within one setting can mean that it's hard to keep up with what's going on. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Yes, some characters get less screentime than others but that doesn't necessarily mean that their story is less interesting. If there is a main character in this film, it probably would be Evelyn Greenslade (Dench). In the beginning of the film, we learn that her husband has passed away and decides to get away to India. She narrates the film which means we hear her inner thoughts and true feelings and we connect to her. She soon gets a job working as an adviser for the staff of a call centre. In this role, Dench proves why she's one of the best British actors,

Nighy and Penelope Wilton play a married couple, Douglas and Jean Ainslie, who travel to Jaipur for a holiday. Unfortunately, Jean is xenophobic and spends most of her time in the hotel which leads to many arguments between her and Douglas, who explores Jaipur and gets closer to Evelyn. Coincidentally, both Nighy and Wilton played a married couple in the zombie romantic comedy, Shaun Of The Dead, in 2004 and Nighy appeared alongside Dench in the 2006 drama, Notes On A Scandal. It helps when the actors already know each other as the chemistry between them comes naturally. 

Tom Wilkson plays Graham Dashwood who is a high-court judge and spent his first eighteen years in India and abruptly decides to retire and return there. On his journey, he is hoping to reconcile with his former lover who he spent many years with when he was growing up in Jaipur. His story is one of my favourite things about the film as it is really heartwarming. Unfortunately, this leads to an emotional moment that affects everyone and changes their outlook on life.

Another strong performance comes from Maggie Smith as Muriel Donnelly who was a housekeeper but, after training her younger replacement, is forced into retirement which leads her to feeling like she has lost all purpose in life. She is sent to Jaipur for a hip replacement, unfortunately, she is very unhappy about this as she is prejudice of India and the people who live there. However, she connects with the young woman who cares for her and changes her opinion. For ten years, Smith portrayed Professor McGonagoll in the Harry Potter films and was seen as sweet and caring so it's refreshing to see her portray someone completely different.

Dev Patel is probably best known for appearing in the multi-Oscar winning 2008 drama, Slumdog Millionaire and his portrayal of the owner of the hotel brings comic relief to this drama. Despite his hotel on the brink of closing down, he remains optimistic. 

India is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and director John Madden manages to capture it by cutting to shots of the streets and outlines of buildings in India. I think this film will definitely encourage people to travel to India.

Drama is the main genre of this film, however, there's still enough comedy to entertain all viewers. Like I mentioned earlier, Patel provides the majority of the comic relief. Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup play Madge Hardcastle and Norman Cousins who are both looking for some excitement to spice up their lives. They both provide some humorous moments with their scenes and prove that no one is ever too old to have fun.

Overall, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a thoroughly engaging film and features some Britain's most talented actors.

8/10