(The Golden Girls. But British. In India. With The Golden Boys. Who are also British...)
CAST: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ralph Pickup, Dev Patel,
DIRECTOR: John Madden
WARNING: Some SPOILERS one seriously quirky group of British codgers - straight ahtead....
IT'S LIKE THIS: What the fuck is it with Brits and India? Every UK-born person I know - whether friend, family, or acquaintance - has a boner for the Land Of Curry that makes my serious jones for Italy look like a mild hankering. Maybe it's because of India's colonial past that Britain has close ties to. Maybe it's because India is warm and inviting, while England is wet, drizzly, and clammy as a witch's tit most times of the year. Maybe it's because Indian cuisine is fiery and hot, while English food is about as exciting as a soggy day in November. Maybe it's because India is relatively cheap and the United Kingdom is fucking expensive. Whatever the reason, most Britons think India is Heaven-on-Earth. Or whatever Heaven is in Hinduism.
Our next review is titled the THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. Well, it should really be THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL AND ELDERLY, because that is the actual name of the place that big-dreaming Indian entrepreneur-wannabe Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) has opened. Taking the run-down hotel he inherited from his equally big-dreaming father, Sonny renovates it (well, more like changes the sign out front) and christens it the aforementioned long-winded and awkward moniker. Someone ought to tell him that a retirement home with a fancy name is still a retirement home. Even if you can get your chapati, naan, and dal - all fresh from the family next door.
Nevertheless, it won't come as a staggering surprise that a few long-in-the-tooth Brits fall for Sonny's brochure, which makes the place sound like the latest in the Westin chain - but at far less than Travelodge prices. Is that a deal or what? Seven limey pensioners seem to think so. The suckers are: (1) Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson), a retired bachelor judge who is also something of a silver fox and is, as his name suggests, quite dashing; (2) Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench), sweet and humble widower who starts a blog (ahem) about her adventures (double ahem); (3) Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy), patient and mellow dude who is marries to a raving bitch; (4) Jean Ainslie (Penelope Wilton), aforementioned raving bitch; (5) Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith), wheelchair-bound bigot who is downright terrified of anyone who doesn't have skin the color of sour milk; (6) Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie), predatory bombshell and lifelong whore who is on the prowl for more man-meat, even in retirement; and (7) Norman Cousins (Ralph Pickup), happy-go-lucky horndog dude who is basically Madge with a penis.
So, our seven travelers journey long and far from London to Delhi to Jaipur (sp?) to finally get a gander at their new home, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel For The Beautiful And Elderly". One problem, though: the place doesn't look anywhere as glamorous as the pictures in the brochure. Not even close. Let's just say that pigeons have laid claim to some of the rooms, roaches are throwing a block party in some of the others, and it's looking like the Not-So-Magnificent Seven will be paying too much - even at the bargain-basement prices they've been quoted.
Now, to be fair, not everyone reacts negatively to the fact that the hotel looks a lot less like a Hilton, and a lot more like an exotic version of the Bates Motel. Norman, Evelyn, Graham, Madge, and Douglas pretty much roll with the punches are all like, "Fuck it, we're in India, yo. At least we're not getting pissed on constantly by the weather and the food actually registers on your palate." Our other two old farts, on the other hand, grumble and whine about how the place looks nothing like the advertisements. Yes, folks, Muriel and Jean basically try to see who can win the World Cup for Bitching And Moaning - and it's looking too close to call at this point. Personally, I think Jean is in there, though.
Anyhow, you gotta give it to Sonny for his remarkable sangfroid in dealing with the seven new arrivals. Especially considering he's got issues of his own, such as the following: (1) a rich bitch mother who thinks he is wasting his time with re-opening the hotel, and would like to sell the place from under him; and (2) a crush on hot call center operator Sunaina (Tena Desae) - whom Sonny's rich bitch mother disapproves of because of the lovely Indian caste system that gives the lovely British caste system a run for its money. In other words, Sunaina ain't good enough for Sonny. Sonny and Sunaina, on the other hand, beg to fucking differ, thanks.
So... will our seven Brits and our two lovelorn Indians sort out their various issues? What secret is Graham hiding from the others? Where does he go everyday for hours? Who is he looking for? What happens when Evelyn pours her heart and soul into her blog? Does she have a secret admirer reading it without her knowledge? If so, who is he? Douglas? Graham? Norman? Someone else? And what about Jean and Muriel? Are these bitches ever going to loosen the fuck up and realize they're in India? Will Sonny and Sunaina have some slap some sense into them? Shove some hot curry down their throats, perhaps? If for no other reason than to keep them from speaking for awhile?
Yes. Do it now. Shut those bitches up.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: "This is a new and different world. The challenge is to cope with it. But not just cope - to thrive. India, like life itself I suppose, is what you bring to it..." So writes Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) on her blog, chronicling the adventure that she and six of her peers have embarked on. This sentiment is pretty much at the heart of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, a lovely exploration of lives that often go unexplored in this cinematic day and age which often celebrates everything young. The leads of this film are in the autumn and winter of their lives, past middle-age and into retirement. But that doesn't mean that everything is behind them, because what often seems like an ending is really the beginning of something new. As Evelyn so succinctly put it, life is what you bring to it - whether you are in India, England, or somewhere else in the world. Each of the characters, in his or her own way, learns this throughout the film.
The film's main strength is, not surprisingly, its cast. Filled with distinguished veterans of British acting royalty, they are quite a formidable bunch. But the loveliest thing about this group is how accessible and human they make their characters. Again, not so surprising considering their talent. It would be difficult (and unfair) to pick a standout among them, because they are all terrific.
Judi Dench has always been a favorite of mine - even before she took on the role of James Bond's boss in the 007 series. Here, Dench is much more fragile and vulnerable - but no less resilient. Rather, she hides her strengths in the depths - and taps into them when needed. The interesting thing is Evelyn almost seems to be unaware of just how strong she is. Watching Evelyn find her footing in the wake of her husband's death, and the financial woes he left her that have forced her to seek retirement in the much cheaper country of India, is one of this film's main rewards. Dench turns Evelyn into a smart, shy, funny, sensitive, generous, and gracious woman. Her thoughtful musings on her blog, and her tentative decision to take on a job at a call-center teaching the operators about western communication styles, marks her as a woman who has always underestimated her own value - and is now discovering it. In a word, Dench is superb - and Evelyn is one of her loveliest characters.
The rest of the women are similarly strong. Maggie Smith isn't afraid to play up Muriel's rough (and, let's face it, racist) edges, while also somehow giving it a wry, comic spin. Muriel has a nice story thread with a Anokhi (Seema Azmi), a lower-caste Indian woman who cleans the hotel. Having spent a lifetime as a cleaning lady herself, Muriel shares some tips with Anokhi and, inadvertently, befriends her. Someone once told me that friendship, whether between friends, family, or lovers, is what makes us human. That is never more true than in the unexpected kinship between Muriel and Anokhi, and watching the younger woman change the older one is another reward of this film. Smith, just like, Dench takes her character and runs with her.
Celia Imrie and Penelope Wilton are equally fine in their own ways as, respectively: (1) the free-spirited Madge, who was clearly a heart-breaker in her day - and is trying to hold on to that; and (2) the brittle Jean, whose main concern is appearances - and keeping them up at all costs, regardless of who gets hurt. Wilton, in particular, deserves special credit for managing to keep our interest in Jean despite how horribly she sometimes behaves towards the others. There's a nice scene late in the film between Jean and Douglas that redeems her somewhat, and has a ring of truth to it. At the same time, Imrie has a couple of hilarious scenes at a local country club that she tries to join by saying she is English royalty. Suffice it to say, she is not. You'll see.
As for the men, they are just as accomplished as their female castmembers. Bill Nighy, known for his vibrant, comic turns, underplays beautifully here to play a soft-spoken man who slowly realizes he has fallen out of love with his wife - but yet would rather sacrifice his own happiness for fear of hurting her by leaving. Nighy turns Douglas into a quietly funny and noble figure who is forever trying to paint a happy face on his marriage, despite all evidence to the contrary. Douglas and Jean remind me of Calvin and Beth Jarrett (Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore), another similarly-troubled couple, from my favorite film of all time, the lovely and heartbreaking drama ORDINARY PEOPLE. It's always sad when a lifelong union crumbles, and Nighy plays Douglas' silent torment very well - proving he's more than just a comedian.
Then there's Ralph Pickup as Norman Cousins, the adventurous lifelong playboy who has come to India to continue to live it up even in retirement. After Evelyn, I have to say that Ralph is my next favorite character. The guy just wants to laugh, have fun, and greets everyone and everything with the simple, uncomplicated joy of someone who knows life is short and needs to be lived now. There's a terrific short scene at the beginning of the film wherein the group first arrives at the hotel in India, and almost everyone reacts with surprise (and in the case of Muriel and Jean, abject horror) at the run-down state of the place. Everyone except Ralph, who walks into his shabby room, throws open wide the balcony doors - and smiles to the world while saying to himself: "Yep. This'll do just fine..." This is the kind of guy I'd like to be - whether in retirement or not. Pickup does a terrific job of not only playing up Norman's raunchy humor, but also limning him with a hidden sensitivity and intelligence. Love him.
Last, but in no way the least is the awesome Tom Wilkinson as Graham Dashwood (my third favorite character after Evelyn and Ralph). Wilkinson has excelled at playing complex, conflicted characters - and Graham is no exception. A celebrated and respected career judge, Graham is the only member of the group who has been to India before. He grew up there - and has his own agenda for returning now which is gradually revealed as the story goes on. Graham is never less than gracious, kind, and friendly to everyone - but there is also a certain distance and shyness to him, which makes him a bit of an enigma to the others. It's this mysterious quality that draws them (especially Jean) to him. And the revelation that he came back to India to search for a lost love from his youth - and the surprising identity of this lover - is another of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL's rewards. Wonderful performance from a wonderful actor.
As Sonny and Sunaina, the young, star-crossed couple, Dev Patel and Tena Desae are lovely and endearing. As he did in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Patel brings his trademark hyper-goofball presence to the role, while Desae is a refreshing presence as the girl that was meant for him but whom his mother objects to. Their storyline juxtaposed with those of the older characters nicely underscores that notion that no matter how old you are, and no matter where you live in the world, love is the common denominator. It's yet another quirky piece in a lovely tapestry.
Director John Madden, as he did with the classic SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, gives us another film that should endure through the ages. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL tells the stories of people whose tales don't often receive the attention they should. And it does so wonderfully. Kudos to all...
