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 advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.

Director:

John Madden

Writers:

Ol Parker (screenplay), Deborah Moggach (novel)

Stars:

Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 4 wins & 20 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 Greenslade (Dame Judi Dench), newly widowed, wants a low-cost experience, Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) seeks a long-ago love, Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy) and Jean Ainslie (Dame Penelope Wilton) have lost their pension in a family investment, Muriel Donnelly (Dame Maggie Smith) needs cheap hip surgery, Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) seeks a rich husband, and Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) is chasing women. India affects each in different ways, enchanting Douglas and Evelyn while driving Jean deeper into bitterness. Their host, young Sonny (Dev Patel), 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:

old man | old woman | aging | mumbai india | english abroad | 

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Taglines:

For seven strangers, this is just the beginning of an exotic adventure.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

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:

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$737,051, 6 May 2012

Gross USA:

$46,412,041

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$136,836,156

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blueprint Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jean Ainslie (Dame Penelope Wilton) reads "Tulip Fever" by Deborah Moggach, on whose novel, "These Foolish Things", this movie was based. Tulip Fever (2017) was filmed a few years later.

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Goofs

At about minute 14:20 an airplane is shown landing in India which is supposed to be the group coming from England. The aircraft is a Boeing 737 NG which cannot reach due to the range.

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Quotes

Sonny: Let's meet somewhere else. I will rent a hotel room!
Sunaina: Sonny, you own a hotel - it has many rooms.
Sonny: Some of which are now occupied with actual real guests!
Sunaina: Paying guests?
Sonny: Why must you nit-pick? It is not an attractive quality.

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Connections

Featured in 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2013)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No. 15
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven (as Ludwig Van Beethoven)
Arranged by Keith Blainville
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

Very pleasant throughout, but as good as what you'd expect from such a cast

Marigold Hotel was overall a very pleasant film with a distinct feel-good factor - helped by the vibrancy of the Indian setting. Judi Dench is excellent as always, and Bill Nighy really captures the child within for this film. In fact, all of the cast were superb, although Dev Patel suffered from a little overacting! The plot is more like a moral, and explores a 'young at heart' theme throughout. I think the vision of the film is somewhat confused at times. It seems to shift from a full-on comedy to a film about ageism, and it doesn't flow as well as one would hope. Also, Maggie Smith's character (although superbly played) is a slightly far fetched transformation, so I would have liked to see more focus on her throughout the film. Overall though, a nice, entertaining piece of work. Perhaps not as good as you would expect from such a star-studded cast, but nevertheless, very entertaining!