The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, and Celia Imrie star as a group of elderly British people who take a trip to a broken-down retirement home in India. They all have come with different agendas, they all have their own secrets, and they all are trying to find happiness in one way or another. For some, that means finding a significant other, for others, getting rid of theirs, and for others, just finding the good in something. This is a movie that blends drama, comedy and romance seamlessly, taking care to pay proper and equal attention to all of its subjects. It is a good-hearted romp from director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Proof) that is a significant improvement over his previous feature, the dissapointing The Debt. Here is a movie that is aimed at an older audience, but holds greater significance for all ages than any other movie currently playing in theaters.

I must admit that I anticipated enjoying this movie due to its excellent cast of British greats and because of how cheerful it seemed. I am nowhere near the age or sex that the movie is targeting, yet I enjoyed myself far more than the last few movies I've seen at the cinema (which included The Raven starring John Cusack, which apparently was so forgettable I forgot to write about it). Why should a movie about a bunch of old people wailing about marriage problems and past loves and filled with stereotypical "old" humor and weepy moments of sentimentality connect so well with me? I am sure timing plays a large part of it. This movie delighted me in how sincerely genuine it seemed compared to the woeful artificiality of The Avengers. There was more to it then even that, though. I felt like during the short time these characters were on screen, I had come to know them as if they were real. That's not an easy thing to pull off in dramas that depend on real life being exaggerated, and even harder for comedy that must avoid being too clever. This film took a screenplay, based on the book These Foolish Things, that could have easily been turned into a pile of baloney, but makes it all somehow work. Madden has a style of directing that suggests it is all a story from an old friend or relative, with attention to details that would only matter in such a telling, but they're the ones that make all the difference. It's very refreshing.

I can't help but point out that in the long run The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel isn't a very important movie, nor will it stand any real test of time. For all its good intentions, it's just too flimsy. Many viewers will be completely turned off by its unwavering feel-good nature, but there are many who will love it for that very reason. I am in-between both crowds. I found it easy to enjoy myself in the moment of the movie, but it is likely I will think of reasons to criticize it later on. On the whole, though, there aren't very many movies made these days that stand outside of any typical genre, offering multiple forms of entertainment in one package, and delivering them all suitably. In short, for a brief time, it made me happy, and that's good enough for me.

8/10