Movie Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

After a fabulous shopping night for GNO with Danielle, I came home and finally treated myself to a viewing of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  I was quite please with this little film.  I love British movies.  I always have, and probably always will.  In true British fashion, it's a bit slow in building its characters, but the end results were a delight for me.  And besides, who can resist Judi Dench and Maggie Smith on the same screen?!

The Marigold Hotel in India caters to older British expats.  It's actually a farce as it's not nearly ready for guests. As the younger Indian owner explains, Indians know that everything turns out right in the end, so if it's not right at the moment, it must not be the end yet.  Love it!  Of course, the characters find this to be quite true by the end of the movie. 

These older ladies and gentlemen learn a lot about themselves as they open up to all that is India.  I really want to visit India after seeing these scenes from Jaipur, Rajasthan.  Oh, the film is all about finding beauty in the unexpected and adventure out of the ordinary.  It's about finding happiness out of pain and overcoming prejudices to find friendship.  The conglomerate of a cast is quintessentially British and puts a finesse on the story that drew me in and helped me quite enjoy two hours.  I found myself falling in love with a place I've never been and a people I've never truly experienced.  I grew in appreciation for a culture only glimpsed through studies of Gandhi (stereotypical, I know).  I appreciate the British take on India more than 70 years after independence.  Yep, the travel bug has bit again, but I think it'll be a while before travel is feasible.