Quite simply superb.
9/10
Author: Ray Penn from Teesside, England
12 February 2012

I am in that age group that is thinking more and more about what happens when I retire. If the story portrayed in the film can be regarded as even remotely possible then sign me up today.It was funny to the point that the whole audience wasn't just laughing but laughing loudly and repeatedly.

I didn't care about the actors and actresses playing the roles, just the characters. There is racism, snobbery, love, joy and sadness in just the right amounts throughout the story. The movie is two hours of escapism with just a small undertone of moral fibre thrown in. It will probably make the move to DVD and television quite quickly; in this case a good thing for the right reasons.

Dench and Nighy are the standouts in a film full to the brim with colour, joy, a little bit of sadness and hardship and a lot of hope.
7/10
Author: pturner1010 from bracknell
12 February 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Ever wondered what the cue to get into heaven at St. Peter's Gates is going to look like? Try standing in line for a preview screening of this little gem. The Daily Mail readers were out in force this morning, free tickets in hand and storming the cinema, to catch this charming story of a bunch of old folks retiring in India. Like the line for entry to heaven, there was regretfully the odd young person in the audience, no doubt terrified at the prospect of leaving their life behind to sit with all the oldies for what might seem like eternity.

But fortunately The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a charmer and even the youngest viewers will find something to enjoy here. Whether it's Bill Nighy, again stealing the film from under the noses of an accomplished ensemble (see also Love Actually) or the sweet love story of the films only younger characters, the film has enough unexpected moments to mask the more predictable and clichéd elements of the story.

When seven British retirees opt to 'outsource' their retirements to cheap and cheerful India, they arrive at a hotel that is not as expected from the brochure. Dev Patel's Sonny runs the place under the watchful eye of his disapproving mother and the visitors are left to dust off the furniture and make do with the cockroaches on the floors and the curry served up every dinnertime.

The stars of the movie are delightful; Judi Dench does vulnerable but determined; Bill Nighy funny and heartbreaking; and Tom Wilkinson quiet, reserved and struggling with an unexpected burden. It is a story of seven characters facing up to a new time of their lives with new challenges and new loves presenting themselves. It is a hopeful story about letting go of the past and embracing the future.

Like any film set in the country, India is a central character. The colours, the faces, the smiles, the sounds, the hustle and bustle of the packed streets all assault the senses, not just for the characters but also for the viewer. You might see less of the real India than many would like, but it is always present in the background. The love stories are touching with the ups and downs of relationships sensitively written.

The unwinding of Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton's Douglas and Jean is particularly well handled and bound to induce the odd tear once the inevitable finally happens. Wilkinson's search for a lost love is concluded a little too conveniently and lacks the emotional gut-punch it could have. But all the characters get their moments in the spotlight; whether it is bigoted old racist Maggie Smith's opening of her heart to the locals or Ronald Pickup's desperate search for a last bit of nookie (ahem sorry… meaningful connection).

The elderly members of the audience loved it, laughing heartily from the opening moments of Dench on the phone to her internet service provider. More unsettling was how many found Maggie Smith's Muriel and her hideously outdated racist comments at the beginning even funnier. Hopefully the Daily Mail readers, like Muriel, will come away from the film with a slightly enlightened view of the world outside their doors.

Overall, Dench and Nighy are the standouts, but Wilkinson also gets a strong storyline in a film chock-full to the brim with colour, joy, a little bit of sadness and hardship and a lot of hope. Just like India itself then.

Bill Nighy : Douglas Ainslie - la perle rarissime qui loyalement, supporte une femme hystérique malgré une attirance mutuelle vers une autre bien mieux en tous points

*

*

A great big hug of a film
10/10
Author: Robin Ballance from United Kingdom
23 March 2012

When the Brits make a film well, we knock spots off the competition and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a completely joyous example of just such a film! You can keep your Artist, Midnight in Paris. etc. etc, this is two hours of pure bliss. This is the sort of film so well directed, that no one actor is better than another, even the cameo roles are brilliantly observed. Wonderful dialogue, superb acting, one minute exceptionally funny the next, moving.Well observed characters who you feel you know! Plus the added bonus of beautiful scenery, This is the first film I have seen for ages that made me want to stay and watch it all over again - it really is just one great big hug of a film that leaves you feeling very content!

British Cinema at its Best
10/10
Author: Rob Titterington from Birmingham
3 March 2012

British Cinema at its best. A movie that appeals to a mature audience in very single manner. From the start till the end, the film is one amazing journey of cultures, harmony and understanding our ever changing world. As recently been to India myself, I know exactly the words 'Everything will be alright in the end' That is positive Indian mentality you will find on the streets of India and in the hearts of every ambitious Indian.

Watched this film with my dad and we both thoroughly enjoyed this film so much. It is always nice to watch a film that stays with you till the end. Maybe we British know thecountry we ruled for many years better than any other country out there. And to repeat British Cinema at its finest.

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Don't just sit there reading reviews - go and see it!
10/10
Author: Neil Welch from United Kingdom
2 March 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

We are introduced to a number of people:

Evelyn (Judi Dench) has lost her husband after 40 years and is struggling to cope with the debts he left; Recently retired civil servant Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton), penniless due to investing in their daughter's unsuccessful business, are appalled at the prospect of a retirement flat in an old folks' compound;

Madge (Celia Imrie) may be faded, but isn't ready to call it a day yet;

Muriel (Maggie Smith), embittered after a lifetime in service and the disappearance of her country behind faces she doesn't recognise, finds her much-needed hip replacement outsourced to a cheaper provider;

Graham (Tom Wilkinson) retires as a judge and decides he must try to find something he lost in his youth; and Ageing old goat Norman decides to pursue the hunt somewhere new.

These 7 people, for their different reasons, find themselves in Jaipur, the first residents of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Old and Beautiful), an establishment which does not quite reach the photoshopped standards of its brochure, and which is run with more enthusiasm than acumen by Sonny (Dev Patel). Yes, folks, it's another movie about old people. But it has a classy cast, a sparkling script, some genuinely affecting character arcs (Sunny, too has things going on), and the sights and sounds of India.

I saw this in a cinema full of people who, like myself, are no longer in the full flush of youth, and there was a strong sense of identification. But that's not the end of it, because the film is much stronger than that. There was a lot of laughter - much of this film is very funny, and there are some terrific one liners - and an appreciation of the performances. Of course, with a cast of this calibre, one expects no less than first rate, but they all deliver at least to that expected standard.

I particularly liked Penelope Wilton's brittle Jean, let down and angry, but always putting the very British cheery public face over the top of her deep unhappiness, and Bill Nighy as husband Douglas, kind, positive, faithful and loyal and, perhaps, capable of being provoked beyond the point where he can bear it any more. Yet all are excellent.

This film is warm, witty, funny, touching, and deep but without being preachy. Even though it is only February, 2012 will have to come up with something special to produce a better film this year.