How good can a movie about a bunch of British retirees hanging out in India be? DAMN good! It doesn't hurt that I am a big fan of British comedies, but still..."The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is a very good movie regardless of my British bias!
Who are these crazy Brits? The actors are mostly familiar faces...Bill Nighy (plays Billy Mack in one of my favorite movies, "Love Actually") plays Doug who is married to Jean (Penelope Wilton, a.k.a. Mrs. Crawley from "Downton Abbey"), Dame Judi Dench plays a widow named Evelyn, Maggie Smith plays a retired housekeeper (which is pretty funny considering her character in ""Downton Abbey is a crotchety aristocrat), Tom Wilkinson plays a retired judge and Dev Patel (of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame) plays the eager, enthusiastic manager of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The other characters are played by less recognizable (at least to me) actors...Celia Imrie plays Madge who is hunting another husband and Ronald Pickup plays Norman who is (hilariously!) trying to re-live his youth.
This (motley?) crew all wind up at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in India, a "paradise" location. After arriving, they find out that the hotel is not quite paradise, but the majority of them make the most of their surroundings and take in all that the city has to offer.
This is a funny, charming, heart-warming, entertaining, fun movie with a very strong cast playing diverse, interesting characters. We get to know & love these characters as they journey through very unfamiliar territory for each of them. There are some nice & even sad surprises along the way.
I really liked this movie...8.0/10 stars
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