The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  8 / 10

  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel showcases the vintage talent of some of Britain's finest actors. If there ever was such a likeable, watchable, enthralling, witty, hilarious and heartbreaking film, it's this one. Who knew a group of people in their golden years moving to India would make for such a fun and moving film. It's a story about rediscovery. Rediscovering one's self, rediscovering life and rediscovering happiness. Making the most out of what you have left, embracing a new and foreign lifestyle and just tackling new obstacles that are thrown your way. The sheer resonating force the the plot is filled with is exceedingly joyous and is sure to make you smile with glee. Evoking a variety of emotions from happiness to sorrow. It's a whirlwind, both in its narrative and themes. With more than eight lively characters to fuel the story, you would imagine balancing their screen time to be quite the challenge. Alas, screenwriter Ol Parker and director John Madden utilise their experience to overcome this obstacle, and with vibrancy. I mean the script contains British wit that makes the film ever so charming. A racist Dame Maggie Smith, a gay Tom Wilkinson, a grieving Judi Dench and a promiscuous Ronald Pickup are just a few enigmatic characters that stay in the hotel. Perhaps trying too hard to cater for a wide variety of character types. Some characters are more developed than others, and certain elements in the plot are rushed because of this, however it's well balanced overall. Then injecting the urban Indian culture into the mix with a seasoning of love, and we have ourselves an international hit. The recipe works and clearly the results show. Everyone gave excellent performances that provided much needed emotion. The beauty of such talent on and off screen means that it is accessible by all ages. Every type of audience can appreciate and be engaged with what is being shown. Some may consider this to be too "fluffy", but come on...sometimes we just need a nice film to cheer us up!

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