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United Kingdom/India 2015
Directed by
John Madden
122 minutes
Rated M

Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
2.5 stars

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The

Synopsis: As the original Marigold Hotel in Jaipur is packed to the hilt with retirees long-term resident Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith), and garrulous hotel manager, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), plan to expand into a second venture. Meantime various over-the-hill romances blossom, others stumble, while two mysterious new guests are not necessarily who they seem to be. As negotiations for the second hotel become more complicated, Sonny’s plans for his marriage to Sunaina (Tina Desai) become fraught, but regardless, everyone lives in anticipation of a splendiferous Indian wedding.

If you liked 2012's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel you should be charmed by this sequel, even though the novelty has worn off and certain very formulaic devices get too big a run for their, or perhaps your, money. The film’s big drawcards for me are 1) the great cast and 2) glorious Rajasthan, a part of India simply resplendent in its life, color and architecture.

The cast features some of the cream of British acting, with several newcomers along for the ride. The old favourite characters are there: Judi Dench is Evelyn, soft spoken and gracious, secretly admiring Douglas (Bill Nighy), who is too shy to declare his love for her. Norman (Ronald Pickup) and Carol (Diana Hardcastle) seem to have issues maintaining a monogamous life together, while Madge (Celia Imrie) is trying to decide which of two eligible rich Indian suitors she should wed. Handsome Kushal (Shazad Latif) is still making Sonny jealous, even if he is “just a friend” to Sunaina. Enter a case of mistaken identity – suave and handsome Guy Chambers (Richard Gere), a supposed novelist come to write his first book. He is smitten with Sonny’s mother Mrs Kapoor (Lilette Dubey), while another newcomer Lavinia Beech (Tamsin Greig), younger than the others, adds a layer of mystery. David Strathairn, looking fantastically handsome in an older man way, even gets his beak in, though not to any great narrative effect.

Patel’s character, Sonny, is critical to the story. He is at once likeable and infuriating as he constantly ingratiates himself with those he thinks best serve his purposes and is dismissive and ill-tempered to others. The trouble is that his character is often overplayed, as is that of Mrs Donnelly, with Maggie Smith exploiting her most condescending voice that spouts grating lines designed to be life lessons, but which come across more often as clichés. Cliché or not, there are moments where the film makes us think that, yes, life is too short and we have to grasp it before it gets away. It also reminds us that romance and the joys, pains and pitfalls of love are not exclusive to any age group.

The settings are magnificent, especially the scenes of the venue decorated for the various stages of the wedding celebration. Shots of some of Jaipur’s iconic sights look spectacular on the big screen, and the hustle and bustle of India’s lively streets, with vendors, painted elephants and cows grazing on street garbage add to the vibrant atmosphere. The one big Bollywood style set dance piece is also a delight.

The enjoyment I had from this film far exceeds its objective qualities. Too many trite devices, neat tie-ups, and ridiculously unbelievable plot points are evident. But maybe this doesn’t matter with such fluffy entertainment when there is also much to make one smile in a romantic vision of old-age that is shown too little on screen.

 

 

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