The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Published July 17, 2012
Film info
- Title The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
- Director John Madden
- Year 2011
- Run time 2hrs 4m
- Genres Comedy, Drama
- Tagline Share the journey, share the laughter
An award-winning, all-star cast, led by Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson, lights up this vibrant comedy filled with genuine emotion. When seven cash-strapped seniors decide to outsource their retirement to a resort in far-off India, friendship and romance blossom in the most unexpected ways.
Live Blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:15 | Brave to start with a call centre conversation. I am riled up just thinking about it. |
| 5:15 | Liza Tarbuck! |
| 8:01 | That is a massive bowl of fruit, a pineapple and everything! I want one of those. |
| 11:49 | There can’t actually be old people like that! |
| 12:20 | Judi’s going to put all her adventures on a blog. She is my total favourite. |
| 16:30 | “First rule of India, there’s always room.” |
| 23:50 | Offered a vision of the future, otherwise known as Photoshopping. |
| 29:05 | Judi is reading us her blog! |
| 33:45 | Seems like a good idea to learn how to play cricket before you go to India. |
| 36:12 | A perfectly technical analysis of the biscuit dunking experience. |
| 42:10 | I don’t want to sound obsessed or anything, but Judi seems like a good listener. |
| 42:58 | How on earth is he going to find one man among so many? |
| 44:59 | “The wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead.” |
| 48:45 | Hehehe, Princess Margaret! |
| 55:29 | He really doesn’t have any style to cramp. |
| 1:00:50 | Uh oh, haggling! |
| 1:08:56 | “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.” |
| 1:19:48 | Screaming the hotel down is not really sneaking in, is it? |
| 1:28:06 | Aww, such a good chair to go in, too. |
| 1:35:15 | Dot matrix printer! Awesome. |
| 1:39:14 | I love Judi, but the Sunni character is an incredibly close second. |
| 1:42:45 | His name is Sunni, and her name is Sunina. They are perfect for each other. |
| 1:52:22 | I hope they packed all their stuff in his and hers cases then. |
| 1:53:37 | Actually, he appears to only have the one case. |
| 1:57:23 | I love the motorbike waving. Great end. |
Thoughts
I saw trailers for this film eons ago and it never really caught my attention, until just recently when I was catching up with a podcast and heard an interview with Celia Imrie. Then I watched the trailer again, and on an evening where we needed something relaxing - this fit the bill perfectly.
It was fabulous! So much better than I’d thought. Of course, you might have noticed, I had something of the Judi-love through the film, but each character was so well done and perfectly portrayed that they were all great. Dev Patel’s character in particular was fun, and by the end, I was rooting for him more than any of them!
Good story, if predictable at times, gorgeous locations and friendly faces. Lovely.
Rating: 5 / 5