Some of the finest actors in England lend their formidable talents to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a charming fish-out-of-water yarn. The Brits, who include Evelyn (Judi Dench), Muriel (Maggie Smith), Douglas (Bill Nigh... more »y), and Graham (Tom Wilkinson), are planning retirement in a less expensive country. After "thorough research on the Internet," the group chooses what looks to be a grand, peaceful retreat, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It turns out that the bloom is off this marigold--it's shabby, antiquated, and as chaotic as the city in India, Jaipur, where it is set. Who can adapt to this very different retirement experience, and who founders? That question lies at the heart of the plot of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The cast is uniformly superb, as the retirees bond and bicker and fall out and then try to encourage one another. And Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) shines as Sonny, the barely-holding-it-together Marigold Hotel manager. Patel and Tena Desae, who plays Sunaina, his girlfriend, are charming yet face adaptation struggles of their own, in a modern-day India still tied strongly to its traditions but rapidly charging into the future. And the young Indians also seem to represent the energetic future, as the Brits represent the old world that's fast falling. At its heart, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, deftly directed by John Madden, is an uplifting journey, allowing the viewer to feel what the retirees are discovering on the screen. When Evelyn sighs, "Nothing here has worked out quite as I expected," Muriel crisply replies, "Most things don't. But sometimes what happens instead is the good stuff." The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is most definitely the good stuff. --A.T. Hurley« less
Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL Reviewed on 10/3/2022...
A little slow moving at times, but still a very good love story with lots of humor added in.
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Patricia K. (pat) from ROANOKE, VA Reviewed on 6/17/2020...
liked
1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Gabriele C. from LAKE WALES, FL Reviewed on 1/20/2020...
i was at first a bit reluctant with this movie ,because it includes adults being a little "loose ".... this is about a group of people deciding to spent their retirement in india .... the broschure promising a luxury time .... well , is over the top exagerating .... and thats just the beginning .... but the ones who decide to make the best of it and adapt ... find that the whole situation gives them something ne to look forward to ...in the end ... dreams of luxury go out the window ... and they learn to quit complaining and start living under more exotic circumstance than in good ole england .... a good movie to realize life does not have to end at retirement age ...the best exotic time might yet be ahead of you .... IF you dare to start over ....
oohh and the second best exotic marigold hotel is even whackier ....you will want it !!!!
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Barbara H. (BlueMoon187) from BILTMORE LAKE, NC Reviewed on 12/8/2013...
The premise is a little unbelievable (a group of older, pretty-conservative types decide to spend their retirement in India), but if you choose to accept the premise at face value, it is a great story. I especially liked the underlying messages of fresh starts in old age, reconciliation, acceptance of endings as well as beginnings, and of course the overall theme of trying things outside your comfort zone. This one will make you laugh, but it will also make you think.