The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Narratively speaking, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (adapted from a novel by Deborah Moggach) offers little in terms of surprises as we follow a group of British senior citizens on a journey to India after the society they inhabit has finished up with them. Well, it’s not quite like that for all of them: for royal judge Graham (Tom Wilkinson), it’s a long-delayed trip home; for bigoted Muriel (Maggie Smith), it’s the fastest way to get hip surgery; although for the rest of them, it feels like a second chance at life. Like the most bitter of the bunch (Penelope Wilton), Ol Parker’s script doesn’t take a lot of risks. What it does do, however, is give this great cast material that they can breath fresh life into, be it Dame Judi Dench’s lonely Evelyn, whose late husband left her ridiculous debt; Bill Nighy’s personable Douglas, who explores the possibilities India has to offer more than his wife (played by Wilton); Ronald Pickup’s on-the-prowl bachelor, Norman, and Madge (Celia Imrie), his wealth-seeking female counterpart; or Smith as a woman whose health in failing her, but whose heart is opening up to this exotic new world. And I’d be remiss if I forgot to mention the hyper-active energy of Dev Patel (from “Slumdog Millionaire”) as the titular hotel’s dreaming owner. That being said, the film’s finest performance is given by Tom Wilkinson, whose Graham has special reasons for returning to India right now. Wilkinson is powerfully moving, especially when he recollects an encounter with an old friend, and his performance elevates the rest of the cast under the direction of John Madden (the “Shakespeare in Love” director) and in the beauty of India, which is a supporting character all its own in this comedy that goes straight to the heart.
