This evening we went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. As I said yesterday, it is the story of a group of English retirees who decide to spend their retirement in a hotel in India. None of them now has a place in the world ; none is rich. One couple have invested their retirement savings in their daughter’s IT company which is not doing well; one woman has had to sell her apartment to pay her late husband’s debts; one is a retired High Court Judge; another woman is looking for a rich husband/boyfriend; another woman is there for a hip replacement that she cannot afford in England, and a flamboyant man is there to find himself a woman. So we meet Muriel, Evelyn, Douglas, Jean, Norman and Graham as they set out on their journey to India.
This unlikely group of strangers are enticed to India by advertisements offering cheap accommodation in a grand hotel. What they find when they arrive is far from what has been depicted in the advertisements. Penelope Wilton playing Bill Nighy‘s wife, demands to be put into “the other one that was shown in the brochure”.
The movie is full of colour and movement and the retirees each find something different during their time in Jaipur.
The movie is based on a novel by Deborah Moggach, These Foolish Things. The cast includes such notables as Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Penelope Wilton.
It is a lighthearted film certainly worth seeing if one is looking for entertainment. Click here to see the trailer.
And if you are entranced enticed by the idea of and by the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, then look no further. There is a Marigold Hotel in Goa – but it looks in rather better shape than the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
The movie is opening in the US in May so if you want an easy to watch movie and if it comes to your area, I recommend that you take yourself off to see it.
“It will all be all right in the end and
if it’s not all right it’s not the end.”
Sunny Kapoor, Manager, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Related articles
- Film Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) (filmblerg.com)
- Marigold Hotel tops UK box office (bbc.co.uk)
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (charlotteweston.wordpress.com)
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 
Thanks, I followed your trailer link, it looks like a wonderful film, I’ll look out for it here. 😀
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It was released in the UK in February I think. It was a fun film to see. 🙂
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Sounds like a good movie. Will have to wait for it to arrive, although many times movies like this skip the theater premiere and go right to video. My hubby has travelled a lot to India and he too says the all sounds better than it is although other family has told me that Goa is one of the prettiest places to visit.
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The scenes of India, the bustle and noise are beautifully captured in this movie. Although I have never had any desire to go there I am almost tempted. 🙂
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Anything touched by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy is instantly gold, so, yes, this looks like a good one!
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It was wonderful that all these “stars” (in the real sense of the word) were brought together for this one movie. It’s definitely worth seeing .
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Judith, the movie looks wonderful! I think it is one I’d like to see with my Mom. We both love the actors in the movie. Thank you for the head’s up. I am glad you went to see it and enjoyed it.
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I am sure your Mom would enjoy it too. Great actors and acting, and the noise and colour of India are so well depicted.
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I have seen the trailer and thought it looked fun–glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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Yes it was a fun movie with a serious undertone – seniors being unable to live in their home country and now looking for something else.
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Planning to go. Few movies either inspire or induce a chuckle or focus our thoughts on what matters. Thinking this one might. Thank you.
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Hi Kat – I throoughly enjoyed it. There were some great one-liners that I forbore to put into the post in case it spoiled it for you. And there is a serious undertone as I said above. Seniors no longer able to enjoy/live the lives they had always enjoyed.
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This is the kind of film my hubby and I love. We will be sure to catch it when it comes to town. Thanks for brining it to my attention! have a great weekend.
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Hi Darlene – I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It is opening in the US on May 4 so you should be able to catch it soon.
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Thanks for this one Judith. We are hooked on English film. Have you seen the Doc Martin series? It’s available on Netflix here now and I’ve seen every episode.
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Yes we have it currently on TV. We have one channel devoted entirely to b=British shows – UK Tv – so we keep up to date. 🙂
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No, but it does sound interesting.
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Well if you get the chance it is worth seeing, Patti
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will definitely go see this. Love Judi Dench.
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Along with all the other fantastic cast members, she is perfect in this role. 🙂
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This sounds/looks wonderful. What a cast! A must see. Thanks, Judith.
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I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I am going again this week with another friend. 🙂
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Read a magazine interview with the cast, before it came out and thought that it sounded interesting, so I appreciate your review. It’s great to hear of a film that has so many distinguishes older actors in central roles – how can it fail to delight? I love the quote at the bottom of your article too – so reassuring, I’ve written it down in my book of quotes. Thanks Judith. 🙂
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The quote is from this inept manager of the hotel and he says it a couple of times in the movie. I enjoyed it so much that I am going again with another friend later this week. 🙂
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I anxiously await its arrival from Netflix . . . probably mid-summer. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Judith.
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it is really very entertaining and with such a great cast it can’t miss. 🙂
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I’ve seen it here in Australia last week and I loved it! Great entertainment. Very humorous. I especially love Judi Dench in it.
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Glade you enjoyed it. 🙂
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I’d love to see it some day. 😉
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I hope it gets to a cinema near you. 🙂
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