John Madden (director of Shakespeare in Love (1998), Proof (2005), The Debt (2010), Mrs Brown (1997), and Ethan Frome (1993), if you didn't know) heads this delightful excursion into another world. A ragtag group of retirees find themselves in search of something they've been missing their whole lives: life. So they pack their bags for India and the promise of a luxurious hotel "for the elderly and beautiful." After arriving at their dilapidated destination, romance and comedy ensue in one of the most memorable adult fantasies in recent history.
A dream cast creates this ensemble picture, and their respective wits increasingly sharpen each other for the two-hour running time. Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith display their comic and dramatic selves in masterful performances that drive straight to the heart. Supporting these four are Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, and Celia Imrie, who each display fabulous comedic timing and sassy characterizations. Dev Patel (whom I only remember from 2008's Slumdog Millionaire) expertly plays the optimistic, almost manic hotel manager.
Ensemble casts are beautiful when each member is given ample time to shine, though this is understandably difficult to accomplish. Madden succeeds in balancing his A-listers with his unknowns, and allowing each to perform at their relaxed and intelligent best. And though there is some criticism that the film employs racist and ageist stereotypes, I think that for every stereotype it hints at (never overt or condescending) it also depicts the realities of the cultures in question. India may be the exotic Other of the film, but so are the "invading" Westerners, in a way, who carry most of the film's social baggage with them. And the infectious joy flooding off the screen highlights diversity and community, rather than humorous riffs off cultural differences. Ultimately the film explores the psychology of older people attempting to reclaim their lives; the fact that they are in India is merely a symbolic manifestation of their place in an unfamiliar world. Madden obviously admires it for its unique beauty, and graciously shares that vision with us.
With its script of hilarious one-liners and occasionally heightened dialogue, the film sparkles at every turn. It feels neither forced nor trivial in its expertly weaved pattern of drama and comedy. Though the romantic element is by no means original, Madden keeps a relaxed grip on its reins. He isn't interested in geriatric titillation, but rather in a notion that increased age should not equate to increased torpidity. These characters are yearning for something more; as such, they are both desperate and vulnerable. They are also relatively alone in a strange country with only each other to lean upon. Despite these extreme internal forces, each character bravely reaches out in order to make some sense of their new lives. And the actors capture every nuance of that complex identity.
IMDb: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
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