It’s in the name: a follow up to 2011’s surprising hit film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel directed by John Madden. The original as the movie you mum, your nan or your aunt absolutely loved (and rightly so – it was a lot of fun!).
While the first movie gave us the background and setup for why people like Judi Dench, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith have decided to live out their golden years in Jaipur in the North of India, the ‘Second’ film is a chance to explore the future of the protagonists as they enjoy retirement in comfort and ease in the most unusual of settings.
Sunny, played by Dev Patel, is the industrious entrepreneur who runs the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. His guesthouse is now famous amongst retirees and as a result has the option to expand his ‘empire’. This involves impressing hotel evaluator Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) and Sunny goes out of his way to extract the money needed to invest in his second establishment.
At the same time, Sammy is working on another important event – his pending wedding. However among the chaos of hotel shenanigan it is increasingly cast to the wayside.
Meanwhile, there are a number of stories strung together involving the elderly protagonists, mostly about love. The conflict of the film no longer revolves around living in India, but more-so their own personal struggles. Evelyn and Douglas (Dench & Nighy) are the ‘will they, won’t they?’ couple. Celia (Madge Hardcastle) is at a crossroads between two suitors and can’t decide on one. Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) struggles with monogamy and Muriel (Maggie Smith) revels in the only story not involving relationships, as the cantankerous caretaker of the hotel she faces a grim future.
From scene one there is no doubt where all the plot-lines are leading. The setups are simplistic and almost cheesy, the script is lacklustre and the plot tropes are predictable (the old flame returning, miscommunication errors creating fake tension etc.). Yet, from that first scene, this movie wraps you up like a warm blankie and makes you feel good inside.
It is endearing and sweet, I have no doubt if this film were set in a nursing home in Australia it would be boring and lifeless, but there’s something about this cast in this setting that just works.
This is especially the case if you take into account the predominant beat structure of a Bollywood film: Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, and everyone dances. It makes sense to look at The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as a Hollywood/Bollywood flick with the best of both worlds there to enjoy.
It makes this a ‘nice’ movie, again perfect for mum, nan or aunty. Surprise one of them with some quality time and a feel-good flick.
They’ll love you for it!
