The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel [PG]

Life has ceased to offer joy to Evelyn, Graham, Madge, Douglas and Jean, Norman, and Muriel. So, through circumstances that have entirely nothing to do with each other, these seven elderly strangers find themselves in India, staying at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. At first, with the hotel crumbling around them, is does not seem to be the best of situations to be in, but as they get to know one another and take in the healing magic of India, they discover that it is never too late to change and start again. 

This was a really lovely little film. I must draw attention to the inaccuracies of previews at this point. The trailer or preview for this movie would show you a sort of Breakfast Club –esque setting, but with seniors instead of teens. The ad shows comedy, determination, and heart warming change. But the film is so much more than that! It’s really a moving story of self-discovery, miserable ends and promising beginnings. And the contrasting mixture of the central characters was great too. 

Life has ceased to offer to joy to Evelyn, Graham, Madge, Douglas and Jean, Norman, and Muriel. So, through circumstances that have entirely nothing to do with each other, these seven elderly strangers find themselves in India, staying at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful. At first, with the hotel crumbling around them and the manager being a bit of a lunatic, it does not seem to be the best of situations to be in, but as they get to know one another and take in the healing magic of the country, they discover that it’s never too late to change and start again. 

For me, the combination of the story, which is based on the novel These Foolish Things by Deborah Moggach, the wonderful script, which was both comically charming and emotionally stirring, and the marvellous mixture of the characters and cast was the all in this movie. The journey and transformation that happens to these seven British retirees is really moving with balanced smatterings of light-hearted comedy and banter as well as emotional drama and loss. 

And the characters were wonderful: Evelyn is a widow left with nothing after clearing her husband’s debts, Jean is a pedantic retiree and her husband Douglas is loyal as anything but has lost the love. Graham is a newly retired judge with a life-long regret, Norman wants to prove that he’s still got it, as does Madge, and Muriel is in need of a new hip and is outsourced to India to cut the wait for her operation. Without a doubt, Muriel was the character you knew would be the one that would stand up, beginning the film as being really cantankerous and racist and ending it being, well… you can sort of see where her story ends up. And then there is the hotel manager, young Sonny, who is a real dreamer but with no head for business. You just love him from start to finish. 

Starring Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Dev Patel, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Tena Desae, Ronald Pickup, and Celia Imrie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a lovely, light, and heart warming film that I thoroughly enjoyed. Filled with beautiful Indian scenery and culture, comedy, drama, loveable characters, and emotionally moving journeys of self-discovery, I really did love it.