The title is a bit strange, I'll agree. In fact, while waiting in line to purchase our tickets the lady sort of laughed when we said, "Two for the best exotic..." When we approached the usher collecting tickets, he glanced down and said, "Best exotic hotel, come back and let me know how it was!" We smiled and proceeded into the theater.
First off, I must say that the cast is first rate with the likes of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, and Dev Patel (last seen in Slumdog Millionaire). There isn't a film I haven't enjoyed starring Ms. Dench nor Maggie Smith (hint: if you have yet to see Enchanted April, it is a must-see). The opening credits introduce the audience to eight British retirees who have all, for different reasons, ran into financial difficulty. We first meet Evelyn, played by Judi Dench, whose deceased husband has left her with mounting debt. She reads over a glossy brochure promising luxurious and affordable retirement living, and tells her son that she has decided to move to India!
During the long journey to India, we become acquainted with the other characters. Muriel, played by Maggie Smith, is in need of a hip replacement and is coming for a cheaper and faster sugery abroad. We later learn that she was a housekeeper for a rich family who simply dismissed her once she reached an older age. Muriel often steals the show with her sarcastic, racist remarks about Indian people, the cuisine, and her fellow hotel mates. Then there is Jean and her husband Douglas, who have lost their retirement money due to investing in their daughter's internet start-up. One immediately despises Jean whose negativity contrasts the curousity and sensitivity of her husband.
But it is Graham, a now retired high court judge played by Tom Wilkinson, who livens the screen with the most meaningful and touching dialogue in the film. He grew up in India as a boy and fell in love with a man and has returned some 50 years later to find the one person who he has never let go of. When Evelyn asks him if they'll be alright in India he replies, "Yes, it's going to be extraordinary."
Upon their arrival, they find that "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is not a palatial palace, but a dilapidated struture barely resembling the brochure. The phones don't work, the cuisine is too spicy for their palates and the surroundings are poorly kept. The always upbeat hotel manager Sonny, played by Dev Patel, believes he can transform the exotic marigold hotel back to its former glory. As he often likes to remind his guests, "Everything will be alright in the end! So if it is not alright, it is not the end!" The film weaves together all of the characters and the adventures they share - many hilarious and many very moving.
The entirety of the film is shot in India with all of its beauty and intensity. Ryan has often tried to paint a picture of India for me, as he has been there on multiple occassions. After watching this movie, I can now envision what he has seen with his own eyes - the colors, the people, tuk tuks, traffic and temples. The movie takes you there and leads you through the chaos to uncover the splendour of the culture and the freedom experienced after letting go of expectations and enjoying the present.
The movie is also about second chances and making the best of what is given to us. We have choices in life. And although things may not always turn out the way we thought, there is always a new bend in the road to take us somewhere we haven't yet traveled. Eveyln, who blogs about the adventures experienced by all of her new friends writes, "Most things don’t work out as expected, but what happens instead often turns out to be the good stuff.” How right she is!
I don't get the opportunity to say this very often, but one shouldn't miss this wonderfully colorful and deeply poignant film. Who knows, it may inspire you to move to another country for a new life adventure. I may know something about that myself.
