Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tina Desai
Dev Patel, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie,
David Straithairn, Ronald Pickup,
Diana Hardcastle



This sequel is the continuation of the "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". This time the British retirees have nicely settled in Jaipur with most if not all of them gainfully employed despite being senior citizens.

Everybody gets a good scene or two and we never spend too long with any one story line before moving on to the next now endearing character whose company we enjoy. This is the norm in any film that cast many colorful characters. Most of the issues are recycled from the first film but this time there is less drama and it is mostly character driven.  Plus throw in the merry preparation and jitters of an Indian wedding so it gets a lot more vibrant, lively and generally aesthetically pleasant.

The elder actors are naturally perfect, given that these are veteran thespians in the British film industry. They never overplay their scenes and this works in stark contrast to the high energy, sometimes overacting patter of Dev Patel as Sonny. The hyper proprietor of the Marigold Hotel who is now looking to expand his brand of retirement village to further boost tourism in Jaipur. But there is a nice balance to the contrast and it is still nice to see that the people behind this franchise made a genuine effort to recapture the charming appeal of the original.

Add in Richard Gere as an American 'tourist' with a hidden agenda and it emits this cozy atmosphere of fun that won't stop raveling just because the characters are way over their prime.

Admittedly, there is way too much going on so the side plots are not fully developed but we still get to watch great British actors like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy to name a few do what they do best - mesmerize us with their brilliant acting skills. So the film still retains its charm and its feel.good.vibes so that works for me!

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