The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The beginning enchants with the film’s great cast and filmmaking creativity – the exposition is perfectly summarized in the opening credits and arouses great expectations. But then we trudge through dealing with the character’s personal problems, which I wasn’t all that interested in. And I found Maggie Smith nothing short of irritating, which doesn’t usually happen to me with characters I’m supposed to relate to. (05/09/2012)

A casually written handbook on how to communicate with old people and Indians – for those who haven’t seen their grandparents in ten years, have never been to India and have no plans to change that. Madden has no qualms about building the whole film on a foundation of top-tier British actors (who, however, are old enough to be members of the University of the Third Age). He gives them sufficient space to tell about their first loves and last wishes. Because the ladies and gentlemen indeed have a lot to reminisce about, they speak often and at length. In order not to let their touching statements permeated with their awareness of the near future incidentally lead us to the thought that life is a bitch (which of course takes more than it gives), the serious words are interspersed with a more dynamic Indian romantic storyline and humorous scenes on the topic of sex late in life. The racy humour loses its sense of inappropriateness (and thus also its comedy value) in light of films like Cloud 9 – i.e. is the idea of sex among the elderly still so outlandish today? Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to figure out the reason for setting the story in India, other than the exotic locations. Some of those taking part in the excursion may remember the golden age of the British Empire, but the colonialist past is barely addressed in the film, at most implicitly in the character of Maggie Smith, who miraculously transforms from an ill-tempered racist into a generally kind lady. The producer apparently just thought India was a suitable location. It’s different enough from England that the clash of cultures is striking, while being associated with a philosophy from which westerners can learn a lot. However, I have no idea why people who have already learned so much from life should learn something so radically new. None of them appears to be the adventurous type and they clearly didn’t come to the hotel to die (with one possible exception), so their desire to experience something exotic in their old age rings a bit hollow. Shrouded in good feelings and lighted with warm colours, the film entirely lacks the authentic odour of age, death and the streets of India, but it stinks to high heaven of calculated screenwriting and routine directing. It’s nice to have Nighy, Dench and Wilkinson together, but I would rather watch a film in which they play themselves and which doesn’t give the impression of being four hours longs. 60% (04/18/2012)

A film with a number of elderly British acting legends, who catch a second wind in this story. It, however, doesn’t last forever. A nice, pleasant and a bit nostalgic film, where the reality of everyday life is in turns remembered, forgotten and sometimes alluded to. The most interesting part of this film is, however, the comparison of problems of British middle class and the lowest caste in India. It makes one realize that we in Europe don’t have it half bad, even though we keep complaining about little things all the time. (08/15/2013)

Bollywood and Euro-American cinema have been influencing each other for some time now. While foreign influence benefits the production of Indian studios and the quality is improving, it works much worse in the opposite direction. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel may have been hailed by the Brits, but unfortunately, this film is uncomfortably close to being a creation of the Bollywood dream factory. The casting was successful - how could it not be, when Madden enlisted a star-studded team composed of the most popular actors of the older generation. The concept is not bad either, and an interesting spectacle could have been created based on it. However, as others have stated, the film could be forgiven for its little bit of pathos, fairytale-like elements, and occasional clichés, but what about the rest? Because there is not just a little bit of it, but heaps. I am willing to forgive a few flaws in the film, but India is portrayed in a way that corresponds to almost all conceivable cultural stereotypes, it is so vividly colored that it hurts. The characters function more like figures and the whole film is characterized by its focus on the surface. Everything is simplified and they play it safe. The film is made in a cultured way because after all, it is intended for a more mature generation. However, it unhealthily drowns itself in ostentatious sentimentality, and its happy ending is not much different from a children's hiding game or the final scene of Lemonade Joe. Many dialogues in the final twenty-minute segment beg for sarcastic mockery. As the minutes go by, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel becomes more of an unwanted caricature of itself. Overall impression: 45%. (09/30/2015)

A kind of bittersweet fairy tale (not only) for the elderly, in which I managed to find a lot of hilarious moments despite the many clichés and moral lessons. I must highlight Maggie Smith. The character of Muriel was written in such a way that just cracked me up. It wasn't great but it wasn’t bad either. It would have turned out better for me if it had concentrated more on the humorous side of things. The potential of Bill Nighy was shamefully wasted. / Lesson: Don't even think of going abroad without pickles. (09/13/2022)

Send seven pensioners to India. Not to get rid of them, but to show you how even in their blessed age it is possible to achieve excellent results. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is definitely not a comedy that will leave you rolling with laughter. Actually, it's more of a drama with comedic elements. Dev Patel shows that he can make fun of himself and his nation, which is quite enjoyable. India is not portrayed in all its colors here, but we still get to experience its darker side, although the emphasis is on its beauty. It's as if all the seniors flew to India not to find a bit of peace - they definitely won't find it - but to find themselves. Each one discovers what they have lost or finds the truth about themselves. These are not just beautiful stories, the film is not entirely simple, although it reaches a happy ending, it still remains interesting enough for the viewer not to turn away from it and enjoy it until the end. The narrator, played by Judi Dench, tells one amazing truth: When you let a group of old people live together for some time, there comes a time when one of them will leave. This also happens. I don't want to reveal anything from the story, it would be a shame. It's not about punchlines, although they are waiting for you too, it's about human destinies. About destinies in a place they thought they would love, but when they arrived, they hated it, yet most of them fell in love with it and never left. (02/26/2013)