The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.

Director:

John Madden

Writers:

Ol Parker (screenplay), Deborah Moggach (novel)

Stars:

Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judi Dench	...	Evelyn Greenslade
Tom Wilkinson	...	Graham Dashwood
Patrick Pearson	...	Graham's Colleague
Hugh Dickson	...	Judge
James Rawlings	...	Estate Agent
Bill Nighy	...	Douglas Ainslie
Penelope Wilton	...	Jean Ainslie
Maggie Smith	...	Muriel Donnelly
Liza Tarbuck	...	Staff Nurse
Paul Bhattacharjee	...	Dr. Ghujarapartidar
Lucy Robinson	...	Judith
Ronald Pickup	...	Norman Cousins
Celia Imrie	...	Madge Hardcastle
Simon Wilson	...	Madge's Son-in-Law
Sara Stewart	...	Madge's Daughter

Storyline

Seven elderly Britons, for a variety of reasons, respond to an online ad and travel to Jaipur, India, where they find run-down hotel with a young, exuberant, and optimistic host. Evelyn, newly widowed, wants low-cost experience, Graham seeks a long-ago love, Douglas and Jean have lost their pension in a family investment, Muriel needs cheap hip surgery, Madge seeks a rich husband, and Norman is chasing women. India affects each in different ways, enchanting Douglas and Evelyn while driving Jean deeper into bitterness. Their host, young Sonny, has dreams but little cash or skill; he also has a girlfriend whom his mother dismisses. Stories cross and discoveries await each one.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | india | retiree | marigold | retirement | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Spain]

Country:

UK USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English Hindi

Release Date:

25 May 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly & Beautiful

Filming Locations:

Royal Castle Kanota, Kanota Bagh, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$737,051 (USA) (4 May 2012)

Gross:

$46,377,022 (USA) (19 October 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blueprint Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tom Wilkinson's character is called Graham Dashwood. Tom Wilkinson played Mr Dashwood in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility.

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Goofs

When they arrive at the airport all the members of the group already have a heavy sun tan, even though they have only just arrived in India and they did not have these tans when they were in England.

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Quotes

Jean: As long as such a fall happens to occur right next to the panic button.

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: Las chicas de la Tierra son fáciles (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Arroz Con Pollo"
Written by Ali Dee (as Ali Theodore), Julian Davis (as Julian Michael Davis), Yusef Jackson and Jordan Yaeger
Performed by Classic
Courtesy of DeeTown Entertainment

User Reviews

Quite simply superb.

I am in that age group that is thinking more and more about what happens when I retire. If the story portrayed in the film can be regarded as even remotely possible then sign me up today.

It was funny to the point that the whole audience wasn't just laughing but laughing loudly and repeatedly.

I didn't care about the actors and actresses playing the roles, just the characters. There is racism, snobbery, love, joy and sadness in just the right amounts throughout the story.

The movie is two hours of escapism with just a small undertone of moral fibre thrown in. It will probably make the move to DVD and television quite quickly; in this case a good thing for the right reasons.