The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

[smofbabe]

Watched on the plane this film about British senior citizens who move to India to a supposed luxurious retirement hotel. The cast is absolutely incredible (Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy...) but the script less so: it tends to veer to sentiment and predictability although it does have its moments, especially Tom Wilkinson's story arc about a gay high court judge who grew up in India but has not returned due to a personal trauma in his past. Maggie Smith's arc is the least believable: she turns from a racist bigot to eccentric wise woman without any real defining moments. Worth seeing for the performances, but not for full price.

Comments

[carbonel]

I enjoyed it immensely, even though I didn't really believe any of it. The all-star cast probably helped, too.

Then I went and read the book -- but I prefer the movie. The book is basically about how the place is warehousing an older irrelevant generation before they die.