We are introduced to a number of people:
Evelyn (Judi Dench) has lost her husband after 40 years and is struggling to cope with the debts he left;
Recently retired civil servant Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton), penniless due to investing in their daughter's unsuccessful business, are appalled at the prospect of a retirement flat in an old folks' compound;
Madge (Celia Imrie) may be faded, but isn't ready to call it a day yet;
Muriel (Maggie Smith), embittered after a lifetime in service and the disappearance of her country behind faces she doesn't recognise, finds her much-needed hip replacement outsourced to a cheaper provider;
Graham (Tom Wilkinson) retires as a judge and decides he must try to find something he lost in his youth; and
Ageing old goat Norman decides to pursue the hunt somewhere new.
These 7 people, for their different reasons, find themselves in Jaipur, the first residents of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Old and Beautiful), an establishment which does not quite reach the photoshopped standards of its brochure, and which is run with more enthusiasm than acumen by Sonny (Dev Patel).
Yes, folks, it's another movie about old people. But it has a classy cast, a sparkling script, some genuinely affecting character arcs (Sunny, too has things going on), and the sights and sounds of India.
I saw this in a cinema full of people who, like myself, are no longer in the full flush of youth, and there was a strong sense of identification. But that's not the end of it, because the film is much stronger than that. There was a lot of laughter - much of this film is very funny, and there are some terrific one liners - and an appreciation of the performances. Of course, with a cast of this calibre, one expects no less than first rate, but they all deliver at least to that expected standard. I particularly liked Penelope Wilton's brittle Jean, let down and angry, but always putting the very British cheery public face over the top of her deep unhappiness, and Bill Nighy as husband Douglas, kind, positive, faithful and loyal and, perhaps, capable of being provoked beyond the point where he can bear it any more. Yet all are excellent.
This film is warm, witty, funny, touching, and deep but without being preachy. Even though it is only February, 2012 will have to come up with something special to produce a better film this year.
Evelyn (Judi Dench) has lost her husband after 40 years and is struggling to cope with the debts he left;
Recently retired civil servant Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton), penniless due to investing in their daughter's unsuccessful business, are appalled at the prospect of a retirement flat in an old folks' compound;
Madge (Celia Imrie) may be faded, but isn't ready to call it a day yet;
Muriel (Maggie Smith), embittered after a lifetime in service and the disappearance of her country behind faces she doesn't recognise, finds her much-needed hip replacement outsourced to a cheaper provider;
Graham (Tom Wilkinson) retires as a judge and decides he must try to find something he lost in his youth; and
Ageing old goat Norman decides to pursue the hunt somewhere new.
These 7 people, for their different reasons, find themselves in Jaipur, the first residents of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Old and Beautiful), an establishment which does not quite reach the photoshopped standards of its brochure, and which is run with more enthusiasm than acumen by Sonny (Dev Patel).
Yes, folks, it's another movie about old people. But it has a classy cast, a sparkling script, some genuinely affecting character arcs (Sunny, too has things going on), and the sights and sounds of India.
I saw this in a cinema full of people who, like myself, are no longer in the full flush of youth, and there was a strong sense of identification. But that's not the end of it, because the film is much stronger than that. There was a lot of laughter - much of this film is very funny, and there are some terrific one liners - and an appreciation of the performances. Of course, with a cast of this calibre, one expects no less than first rate, but they all deliver at least to that expected standard. I particularly liked Penelope Wilton's brittle Jean, let down and angry, but always putting the very British cheery public face over the top of her deep unhappiness, and Bill Nighy as husband Douglas, kind, positive, faithful and loyal and, perhaps, capable of being provoked beyond the point where he can bear it any more. Yet all are excellent.
This film is warm, witty, funny, touching, and deep but without being preachy. Even though it is only February, 2012 will have to come up with something special to produce a better film this year.