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| Courtesy of Fox Searchlight |
I
don’t think anyone would argue that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel needed a
sequel. However, the characters were so fun to spend time with that I can
understand why the studio and creative forces would want to get the gang back
together.
From
a financial standpoint, Fox Searchlight realizes there’s still money on the
table. I imagine the cast and crew probably have a blast making breezy,
entertaining fare like this and get paid quite well to do so. Why not reunite for
one more round? Like most sequels, it’s not as good as the original, but the
drop in quality isn’t steep enough to make it a bad idea.
Set
roughly eight months after the first installment, The Second Best Exotic
Marigold Hotel (note the truthful, tongue-in-cheek title) quickly reacquaints viewers
with the large cast of characters. Of course, recognizable faces like Judi
Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy get the most prominent storylines –
primarily about finding one’s place in life as time grows shorter.
But
hotel owner Sonny (Dev Patel) also gets a few crises to handle, most notably
his anxiety about his upcoming wedding to Sunaina (Tina Desai) and his desire
to expand his business to nicer digs. Throw in new characters played by Richard
Gere, David Strathairn and Tamsin Greig, and the movie gets far busier than it should.
Anytime there’s a hitman subplot in a tale about elderly friends living in
India, you’ve probably taken a wrong turn somewhere.
The
screenplay, credited to Ol Parker, hits an artificially-created roadblock
whenever it seems someone’s life is about to fall apart. Since you know a
feel-good movie like this isn’t going to end in tragedy, the stakes couldn’t be
lower. There are hints that pain might be coming soon, but that’s inevitable
when a story focuses on characters in their twilight years.
Still,
it’s refreshing to see a film depict senior citizens like real people – along
with the hopes, fears, emotions and insecurities that come with being human –
rather than wacky comic relief or sage advisors. Just because we get old
doesn’t mean we stop reacting to what life throws at us.
Performances
are strong all around, but Smith, Nighy and Patel leave the biggest
impressions. Sadly, Gere doesn’t get much to do at all. He shows up for a
handful of scenes, acts lovestruck for a bit and acquits himself nicely in the
big dance number at the end. Don’t be fooled; it’s nowhere near the starring
role the trailer suggests.
All
told, there’s not really an earth-shattering reason why The Second Best Exotic
Marigold Hotel should exist. But I had fun spending two hours catching up with
old friends (no pun intended) in a stunning locale, which is reason enough, I
suppose.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is rated PG for some language and suggestive comments.
Grade:
B-
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