THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
DIRECTOR: John Madden
CAST: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Richard Gere, Tina Desai
CLASSIFICATION: PG 7-9 LP
RUNNING TIME: 122 minutes
RATING: ****
A “seniors on the sub-continent sequel” is how one US critic dubbed it. Another declared it “a sluggish crowded canvas”. But perhaps that has more to do with the ill-disguised digs at American culture that British writer, Ol Parker, has peppered throughout the script, ranging from how they drink their tea tepid to tart one-liners of how a trip to the Northern continent “makes death more tempting”.
Ah, yes. Them yanks have always struggled to grasp the concept of dry British humour and the decidedly caustic reaction of some to the film indicates that they likely never will.
In point of fact, Marigold is neither sluggish, nor a sequel. Rather, it’s the next chapter in a beautiful slice-of-life tale that is both endearing and touching in its simplicity.
The story effortlessly picks up where it last left off, with the octogenarian set comfortably ensconced in their slightly-less-worse-for-wear, but mostly still ramshackle hotel-cum-retirement home in India’s Pink City.
Overseen by the ever-sprightly (and aptly named) Sonny (Patel), this surprising band of British friends have fallen in step with daily life in Jaipur – and each other. Running gags about “checking out” pervade as Sonny conducts his ritualistic morning roll call, with his own enthusiastic insistence at always looking for the potential in even seemingly hopeless situations, spilling over onto his charges.
Most notably, Muriel (Smith), whose once bitter demeanour has softened into something of a mother figure in her role as Sonny’s co-manager – albeit one who is still quite skilled at discharging verbal grenades akin to “just because I’m looking at you while you speak, doesn’t mean I’m interested in what you’re saying”.
Not one to rest on his strings of garlands, Sonny has ambitions of opening a second retirement village in what he envisions will eventually expand into a franchise of Best Exotic Marigold hotels.
But sceptical would-be American investors, duplicitous newcomers and Sonny’s preoccupation with a potential business rival – whom he’s also convinced is attempting to home in on his fiancée, the lovely Sunaina (Desai) – threaten to quell his dream, and his perpetual sense of optimism along with it.
Nevertheless, as he himself once said, everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it is not yet the end. Should that fail, there’s always a trusty Bollywood dance sequence to fall back on (hey, the movie was shot on location in India; swinging hips and thunderclap hands were inevitable at some point).
No, Marigold won’t be winning any Oscars for originality and perhaps its overall plot is rather predictable in its sentimentality and The Golden Girls meets Fawlty Towers quips. But so what?
It’s a humorous, but poignant take on life in the later years and whether old or young, it leaves you feeling buoyed and mindful of the fact that life is to be lived until our last breath. Besides, to quote Muriel, it’s when you let go of control that the fun really begins…
If you liked The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and A Hundred-Foot Journey, you should enjoy this.