The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel [4 ½ stars]

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is a lovely and assured film.  It has a terrific ensemble cast of fine British actors including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson & Maggie Smith.  Seven Brits whom those younger than them would describe as being 'old aged', through various ways and means find themselves in Jaipur, India.  Each character has their own emotional baggage and inner conflicts to deal with; the titular hotel begins much like themselves, neglected, a little run down and in need of repair.  

India is a country which seems to largely polarise people.  They either fall in love with the country to find themselves making multiple journeys back there or they swear and fight every step they take in it until the leave, never to return.  The ensemble of the film is no different.  

Evelyn (Judi Dench) observes, "India is like riding a wave, you can fight it and drown or dive in and find yourself on the other side".  Whereas Jean (Penelope Wilton) struggles with her new environs and beseeches of Graham (Tom Wilkinson) – "How can you bear this country, what do you see that I don't?" to which he replies, "The light, the colours, the smiles, all life is here." 

The film manages to find a nice balance to represent both Indians and English with nothing overly condescending to either culture**.  It would've been all too easy to bring up certain stereotypes for both sides.  And so the untouchables and the caste system get a mention, ("… to some people even her shadow is polluted" – yes, it's a good script) and the Brits are presented with various degrees of flaws. 

[** disclaimer – written by someone who is middle-aged, white and male; I would be interested to hear opinions from the Indian community and/or people who have travelled there, as while I have been to a fair number of locations throughout South East Asia I'm yet to travel to India]. 

This is a modern day India but not the "Slumdog Millionaire" view of the world based largely in crime and corruption.  Children play cricket in neighbourhoods (like all over the world) and university graduates work in call centres.  The manager of the BEM Hotel, Sonny (Dev Patel, also in 'Slumdog'), has his own issues in trying to succeed – with the redevelopment of the hotel, his girlfriend and navigating his way around her brother, and the expectations of his own mother who has arrived to pressure him away from Jaipur and to an arranged marriage back in Delhi where she lives.  Sonny's heart is so genuine and generous but he struggles to find a way to move forward on his own terms despite his constant, almost dogged optimism. 

It's interesting to see which characters thrive or not in this new environment.  Art direction and costume play an important role in providing subtle metaphors for their emotional progress, as does the development of the hotel. 

Overall the film is charming, funny and just a little bit thought provoking when the mood takes it. 

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Director: John Madden

IMDb link:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1412386/

124 minutes

One last interesting note.  Just by browsing the trailers on YouTube, some of the dialogue differs slightly between the UK and the 'official' trailer.  I'm pretty sure we got the UK one in Australia so I've posted that one above.