Free The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Genres: ComedyDr
Starring: Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton
Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, Hi Def
Director(s): John Madden
Country: UK
Year: 2011
IMDB Rating: 7.5
A group of British retirees decide to outsource their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self.
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1 | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (DivX) | Resolution: 640x272 px | Total Size: 699 Mb |
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Visitors Review
zimmer-17 (19 May 2013)
flawed with many outstanding performances
I can understand why so many people enjoyed this movie considering thequality of the actors and the adult themes but I would like to pointout some cinematic deficiencies. Unfortunately the talented performersonly emphasized the amateurish mugging of Dev Patel's performance whichI found distracting whenever he appeared on the screen. I found itunrealistic that all the main characters would stay in a dump once theyarrived in India. The movie was overly long due to poor editing. Itseemed like the same conflicts were being play over and over. Some ofthe conflicts, especially between the young Indian lovers, were tooconveniently resolved to be plausible. A better script would not havehad a voiceless character pop up at the end to finally speak and tie upan important conflict in such a neat manner or have the hotel's futureresolved so conveniently.
Chris L (18 May 2013)
Average
Though the cast is first class and minimizes the damage, this movie isfull of clichés, overused (comic) situations, simplistic psychology andscript unfolding. It contains too many story lines, which aren't fullydeveloped: you learn a bit about everyone but nothing is deep enough.Same goes for the characters, who are caricatural and lack substance;Dev Patel's is particularly annoying. TBEMH also irritates because ofits convenience and its omnipresent feel-good vibe. However, there aresome good lines and scenes, especially during the first hour and,albeit lengthy at moments, this film manages to get the average grade.Not sure I will see it again.
vishnudoc (18 May 2013)
West meets east ... true encounter ... fabulous !!!
West meets the east .... prejudices , compulsions , adaptation ..... amust see for us Indians . There is love , lost love , despair , hope ,rejuvenation , stubbornness ,death all in this story of retiree Britisholdies trying to settle down in Jaipur . Dev Patel ( Slumdogmillionaire fame ) plays a key role .The current Indian realities andmyths , upcoming modern India coexisting with the traditional past !!!Mega star cast of Judi Dench ( Iris , James Bond ) Bill Nighy ( DavyJones of the Caribbean pirate saga ) , Tom Wilkinson ( Cigarettesmoking man of the X files ).Curious to watch how western attitudesfits into or adapts according to the Indian everyday life , ideas andattitudes are given and taken by the ones who love or despise thedifferent or respective culture and the ways of life . A fine blend oftwo cultures attempting to reach a common denomination ...... thoughnot a classic , worth watching !!!!
Pratik Makkad (17 May 2013)
A Slap on the face of Danny Boyle
Before you go ahead and blast this review all guns blazing, i am a bigfan of Mr. Boyle. I enjoyed Slumdog Millionaire as a movie. Being anIndian, the movie did project the underbelly of India, but was more orless offensive. If the Academy wants to give all awards to movies whichshow a slum and poor people, then they should encourage theirfilmmakers to make more movies about poverty in the U.S.Again, this review may be considered as a defence to my country, butIndia has a lot more to offer than slums and gangsters. This is what "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel " captures which Danny Boyle was justnot able to. The Flavour of India, as it is known is on full display.With seasoned actors, and accomplished director and a good script, themovie is thoroughly enjoyable. The scenery and the picturesque locationis expertly captured. You may start believing that this movie was madeby an Indian not John Madden.The story is about British Retirees travelling to India for a vacationwhich turns out to be a life changing one. Each character is welldefined and the story unfolds at a brisk pace. The locales of Jaipurare extremely well captured and it was heartwarming to see our countrypresented in a picture it deserves. The scenes where Tom Wilkinsonplays cricket on the streets and rides in a rickshaw stand out.Well, when you have two Dames in the cast, the expectations increaseand they do not disappoint. Bill Nighy as charming as ever, TomWilkinson acts like only he can. Dev Patel irritates as usual but issort of necessary in the picture.Though the movie might not appeal to everyone, it is highly recommendedfor people who saw Slumdog and thought India was a one dimensioncountry.
Viknesh Sadasivan (17 May 2013)
Good for the Oscar
it was one of the most awaited movie and when I watched it it proved tobe worth the wait. It was simply awesome to see those matureperformances of the cast. Hats off to the director and the exceptionalscript. You wouldn't feel disappointed. One of the best movie that Ihave seen in recent times.It has moral, fun and laughter, thrill and above all the innocence ofthe old. each of the cast was one better than the other. The movie wasso colorful and exciting that I didn't want to stop it in between.Do not miss it.Good background score. Good cast. Good Direction. Good script.9/10
geolaiz66 (16 May 2013)
Unexpected!! Loved it
I loved this movie so much, the acting. It's worth watching and havingsome good laughs and also some hints about the immigration problems inthe U.K but with a funny twist to it. Highly recommended.. The storyalso surprised me, to be a good comedy needs to make me laugh, Iwouldn't go that far, but there's so much more on this movie,retirement, regrets, and how to deal with love when you are old.Definitely, worth trying get some popcorn and good company. There'salso some good famous actors from the UK. So That's my first review andI'm struggling to write more than 10 lines. Next time will be better.Hopefully was useful to someone.
manendra-lodhi (16 May 2013)
Filled with love and problems.
The film follows the journey of some old people who choose India as theplace to spend some of their times. Somehow every one of them isunhappy with what life is offering them. Each character hasdistinguished quality. Some of them liked the place and others havetheir own problems. Than we have Jaipur boy named sonny who is tryingeverything to make his hotel a success. The film fulfilled what it wasmade for. Not much of an expert of western old age but whatever wasshown seemed to be apt. PROS:For the whole time, the film had what I would say, neutral vibes. Youwill never feel depressed and on the other hand there are only a fewmoments when you will feel cherished and that is brilliant in the film.The characters have acted so nicely that not even for a moment you willfind a problem with the flow of the story. The story obviously isnicely done and the director has done a nice job in making a wonderfulfilm which might had looked dull and slow. Besides the acting andstory, Jaipur was filmed very nicely and gave a natural feel to thefilm in a very profound manner. Each character wakes up in the morningand tries to find his/her own path to achieve peace. Initially theydon't want to indulge much among themselves but slowly they do developan amazing relationship with each other.CONS:The side characters had not been properly analyzed and that was theonly weak link that I found in the whole film. However it is easilyignorable. MESSAGE: "You need to find mental peace sooner or later."VERDICT: "Must see at least once"
julian-mumford (16 May 2013)
India, where your "Grey Pound goes further"....
Getting old in the UK sucks, it's official.If you are also a bit short of cash you might want to find somewherewhere your grey pound goes a bit further.Spain, France or how about India, that "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"sounds like an excellent proposition, to gracefully see out yourretirement years.So decide, an eclectic bunch of couples and singles, covering most ofthe stereotypes of British retirement traits.Shrill, unjustifiably snobby and opinionated Jean (Penelope Wilson) &decent but hen pecked husband, Douglas (Bill Nighy). Racist, wizened"old dear" Muriel (Maggie Smith), with a pressing need for a new hip,as long as it is not installed by "one of them". Smith, with an accentthat would be out of place in the Kitchen of Downton Abbey, let alone"upstairs".Norman (Ronald Pickup) an aging Lothario, Madge (Celia Imrie)desperately seeking any man with a heartbeat and a fat wallet, "I'malone by choice, just not my choice" and Evelyn (Judi Dench) bringingsome sense of reason and tolerance to the group.Finally, we have Barrister Graham (Tom Wilkinson) with his own agendafor leaving his stuffy law office behind.Our merry band of emigrants descend on a perceived haven of misspelledold world luxury and rest and relaxation, "The Best Exotic MarigoldHotel". The truth of course is less than they might have expected.Energetic hotel manager Sonny (Dev Patel) does his best to put anIndian optimistic spin on a half renovated, dilapidated hotel but inreality, this is not the dream the glossy brochures promised.The fun of course is how the group and individuals react to their newlife and subsequent loss of a dream.It goes without saying that the acting is of a high quality.Stereotypes abound, Sonny's girlfriend Sunaina (Desae) works in a callcentre, Muriel's meals are brought by an "untouchable" but the wholefeel of the movie is good natured and director John Madden does not setout to offend in anyway. That life in India is different, in some waysbetter, some worse, is obvious and suits some but not others."Everything will be alright in the end, if it is not alright, it is notthe end", very mystical but it does not fix your leaking tap.The perhaps unintentional central message of "it sucks to get old"comes through but the subtext of making the most of every day is auniversal message we can all take away.Not a lot happens, characters change and we learn more about thebackground of the individuals. There are light moments, however this ismore of a drama than a comedy but the target market for the film shouldcome away with a solid nights entertainment.Filmed almost entirely on location, the film makes good use of thelocal colour and chaos, the cast clearly enjoying what must have been agreat, although difficult, filming experience for all concerned.Hard to criticize such a pleasant film that tries hard to please andcovers most of the bases. On occasion a bit more downbeat than thetrailers might promise but overall "uplifting" might be the finalfeeling taken away. Certainly, if the premise of the story brings youto the cinema, there should be few surprises in store.Summary If the trials and tribulations of following a mixed bag of Englishretirees suffering culture shock as they outsource their retirement toIndia is of interest, then there will be plenty to enjoy here.Audiences born after 1990 should bear in mind the above.http://julesmoviereviews.blogspot.co.nz/
Serenstars (15 May 2013)
Absolutely loved it!
Just got back from having seen this wonderful film at a packed cinemaand I'm still smiling. It really is the most entertaining, colourfuland uplifting film I've seen for a very long time. Apart from Indiaitself - which is a star in its own right - it is the performances fromthis stellar cast that really make this movie. At times it was like anacting masterclass, but never at any time could you see the cogsturning. The central characters were all wholly believable, and to behonest I find it impossible to single anyone out, although if I had to,my vote would probably go to Bill Nighy. He is just superb as Douglas -the apologetic, hesitant, henpecked husband of the self centred,bitter, scolding Jean portrayed by Penelope Wilton, who is alsoexcellent. There is one particular scene between the two, whereDouglas, for once bites back - and the emotion from Nighy is justmesmerising to watch. When you add the likes of Dames Maggie Smith andJudy Dench to the mix, the delicious Celia Imrie, Tom Wilkinson andRonald Pickup (with an honourable mention to the latter, who brought awonderfully rakish comedic performance to the mix) - and you can't gowrong. The younger cast members and all the supporting players do an excellentjob - but it is the oldies who steal the show. That doesn't mean it'san oldies film - far from it. I took my 16 year old daughter and shelaughed, cried and loved it as much as I did.
cultfilmfan (14 May 2013)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is based on the novel These FoolishThings by Deborah Moggach. The film tells the story of several elderlyBritish residents who each having individual reasons, decide to go andlive in a hotel in India. None of them have ever met before, but seeingas they are all staying at this one hotel they start to bond and becomequite friendly with one another and also learn about what brought eachof them to this foreign destination. There were things that I did likeabout The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but if I have to be completelyhonest about it, I would have to say that it didn't quite win me overand there were a few things that I did have some problems with. Mainlymy problems would stem from the script. I say script because I havenever read the novel that the film is based on, or know how closely thefilm follows that novel. I think my main problem was that I did notthink the level of character development in the film was as good as itshould have been and because of that I had trouble not only relating tothese characters, or really feeling anything genuine for them. We dolearn some things about them during the duration of the film, but eventhough it is not an especially short film, I felt that a lot of thecharacterization was rushed and seemed to jump to several differentplot lines and events before the previous ones were ended, or wrappedup in a satisfactory manner. I think these characters could have beenreally interesting and I probably could have bonded, or cared for themmore if the film had devoted more time to them and perhaps not rushedthings so much as to get all these other subplots into the film. Ithink that the main intention of the film was to have us bond and carefor these characters and laugh, cry and genuinely feel and enjoy ourtime together with them, but because I could not identify, or connectwith them on more of a personal, or substantial level, I would have tosay that the main goal, or plot of the film was lost on me and so a lotof it, for me at least, did not work. That being said, there were stillthings I did like about the film. The acting by the entire cast was allvery good, I just wish these actors had more to work with and do withtheir characters because they are all very good actors and do play theroles well, but had the film gone in a different direction and allowedus into their psyches and more on a personal level I could have seenthe film being a lot more interesting and also allowing much morepassionate and Oscar worthy performances from the actors. Neverthelessthe acting is still good here. There is also several humorous momentsin the film that are played out quite well and I enjoyed those. A lotof the humour comes from actor Dev Patel, who plays Sonny Kapoor, whomore, or less steals the show and makes the film a lot more enjoyablethan it is. Some of the traditional and other shots of India, werequite something to behold and I enjoyed watching seeing about howothers are living in a culture very unlike my own. There were certainlyuplifting and pleasant moments about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,and it is not like I left the theatre completely unrewarded, I justleft wanting more and not totally having my fill, or being adequatelysatisfied with what I just saw. On the other hand, the film seems to bea hit with audiences and is doing quite well in it's now expandedlimited release and I know that there are many others who will probablylike it a lot as well. For me though it left something to be desiredand worked on and wasn't to my absolute satisfaction.
ryansassy1 (14 May 2013)
All star cast does their best work with a tepid script.
"We'll just get some of the best actors in Britain and put them inIndia -- it'll be spectacular! Those Baftas won't know what hit 'em!""What's the plot?" "Eh, doesn't matter...get some film student to patcha script together. But imagine Judi Dench and Bill Nighy! Nobody saysno to Nighy!..and better add Dev Patel to make it 'relevant'." "You'reright! We're gonna make a wad on this one." That's how I imagined ameeting between the producers of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel musthave gone. Plus, I'm sure they were eating chicken tiki masala--extraspicy, 'cause it's hip. Like India. And skinny jeans.So while the cuisine of India may be hot, this final product islukewarm to my taste. It's what happens when you mix wonderful veteranactors with a script that hits on every romance plot cliché and thensome -- forbidden love, the passions of youth, old players learning newtricks, etc: hot + cold = meh. You might have been lead to expectwonderful cinematography at the very least, but there again, you'll getunremarkable; some passable shots of the colorful urban folk of Indiaand a few overhead swoops above trains in the countryside. It's alljust a bit shy of the "critically acclaimed" standard, though notsubstandard.When I saw this on Netflix, I nodded to myself that yes, it was worth arental and a couple of hours. Happily, I hadn't paid theater ticketprice to see the film.Oh, I must have forgotten to write the plot paragraph...never mind.It's forgotten already. One only hopes Bill Nighy goes on to betterroles, because indeed, no one says no to Nighy ;).
connielinkinpark (13 May 2013)
This is one of the very extraordinary movies that I've ever watched.
It chooses a special group of characters (English seniors were gatheredin the Marigold Hotel), special setting (exotic place-India, which isnot the usual place for retirement or vacation) and special topics (Forexample, gay love among elderly). These are not the common movie topicsthat young people will feel interested in watching.Unlike the young ones, these seniors not just come from differentbackgrounds. Each of them bears a very unique past and has gone throughmost part of his/her life. Some elders bear regrets of the past. Someare having ambivalence in marital relationship which has been turningsour. They planned to go to this exotic place for some sort ofconsolation. Some believe they can stay young and look for newexcitement from date and sex to color the latest part of their lives.And Muriel, the phobic towards men other than the whites, was "forced"to go to India for hip replacement surgery .It's interesting to see how these seniors react to the new environment.Graham tries to find his past lover who is an Indian. Evelyn finds ajob while she and Douglas enjoy themselves by going around and exploresthe exotic lives in India. Madge and Norman actively find new partners.Muriel initially get extremely nervous and skeptical when get in touchwith people, food and places with the Indians. But she later developstrust toward them and adapting fully into the place. Even Jean, who isthe wife of Douglas and seems to be the most unadaptable person in thehotel, whining and resenting about all the things in the place, hastaken one step to find love in Graham(though fail in the end). Andwhile these elders are finding new meanings in their late lives, theyouths are also going through their era of dreams, doubts and fightsagainst fate and authoritative care from guardians. The two story linesare intertwining with each other perfectly.We used to think that youth is the time for experiments, adventures oreven rebellion. We'll find ourselves standing on Sonny's side,supporting him to invent the business in running the hotel and fightingfor true love instead blind marriages arranged by parents. On the otherhand, old age seems to be a time for a retirement, rest and stability.Terminating a long lasting marriage, ending a widow life and experiencea new relationship, changing from being a retired housekeeper to ahotel manager of a new Indian hotel, are not the kind of changes thatwe expect to see on elders. But have we ever questioned ourselves, whydo we have the stigma that elders are always weak and debilitated, whyshould they stay in their current conditions, and why can't elders takerisks and make big these changes to strive for better lives as theyoung people do? Who said that old age can't be a continuation of"golden" years from the past? And if the elders are brave enough totake risks and make changes, why can't we do so? Live fully till thelast day of your life.The conversation between Evelyn and Muriel near the end of the moviewas particularly impressive to me. When Muriel asks Evelyn whether thelatter will stay and help running the Marigold Hotel, Evelyn repliedthat she was undetermined because "Nothing here has worked out quite asI expected". Evelyn may expect this to be a relaxing journey that shecould escape from the grief of the death of her husband. She has neverexpected to be involved in Douglas and Jean's marriage or runningbusiness. Muriel said, "Most things don't. But sometimes what happensinstead is the good stuff." We used to predict as much as possibleabout what will happen in the future if we take the current step andmake a specific choices. We want to have the greatest control aboutwhat we will face. We want to prevent failure, suffering anddisappointment. We want things to go on as we expected. However, is itreally good to us to ponder so much? First, does this really make usfeel happier? If you're like a prophet, if you really know everythingor most of the things that will happen and make adjustments accordinglyto ensure favorable outcomes, will you be motivated to go through thispart of life that is totally under your control? Secondly, like whatMuriel said, most things simply just will not go as we expected, evenyou try to exercise your control. We used to think too much, and blameourselves for the fruitless efforts we made and endure in our owndisappointment, but we seldom recognize that: life is unpredictable allthe time. You can't program your life. Sometimes we may need to sailalong with the wind, do less monitoring but to embrace both sunshineand waves in our lives.It is a relaxing but meaningful movie that allow you to see old-agelife at a different angle, reflect your own life and have a glimpse ofthe cultures and lifestyle in India.
jvdesuit1 (12 May 2013)
A magnificent film which matches the sensitivity of a previous one : Passage to India by David Lean
From what I read in others reviews , the critics again tried to plunderthis superb production. I saw the film yesterday in Paris in a crowdedsmall theater and I hope it will move in a larger one as it deservesit. When I quote "Passage to India" in my summary I do it on purpose.Both films have this great understanding of what old age becomes. Howto cope with a way of life which more and more is becoming lessunderstandable for the elders. And also the difficulty to accept othersculture because they look so strange sometimes and we are most of thetime prejudiced by clichés we've been educated with. It's a good way toteach tolerance to youngsters for their elders as well as to othersculture and civilization. The cast is superb. Good laugh, some tearyeyes. I'm going to see it a second time next week. Claude-Paris
jhsteel (11 May 2013)
Brilliant and closer to reality than you think
I went to see this on the recommendation of my sister who loved it andsaid it was funny. I see the comedy but I also appreciate, as othershave already said, the reality of what growing older can mean todifferent people. It's a great story and the acting is superb. I didn'tlaugh much because I found a lot of resonance in my own life and thepoignancy took over for me. All were excellent - especially Judi Denchand Bill Nighy, but also Dev Patel and the girlfriend - their youthfulenergy contrasted with the older cast members finding their feet in astrange land.It was inspiring and believable. I have been to Sri Lanka and while notas huge or chaotic as India, I understand the culture shock. Olderviewers will find much to think about and I hope younger people willtoo.
jmpac1 (09 May 2013)
So Disappointing
I cared nothing for this movie. It had no message, no entertainmentvalue. The cast was each and everyone sad and depressing. The backdropof the movie was set in the most distressed areas and the movie left mequite upset. Each scene was filmed in the most depressed geography,There was a swimming scene where children were diving into whatappeared to be a pool in the middle of buildings and it was sodistasteful to watch. The one pleasant view in the entire movie was thecustomer service supervisor who was quite good looking. The story linewas completely odd and the journey to this place was quiteunbelievable. This is entertainment at it's worse.
sayloroct (08 May 2013)
Better in concept than in execution
The theme of the movie is, of course, second chances. And Who wouldn'tlove a story about second chances, especially among a bunch of exiledseniors, and especially when the seniors were the likes of MaggieSmith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, etc. Unfortunately, the story was betterin concept than in execution. Or perhaps it was just that myexpectations were too high.The first half of the movie develops fairly slowly. Then things changequickly in the 20 minutes. I hope that Maggie Smith, and some of theother cast members did not get whiplash from having their characterschange direction so sharply in the last 20 minutes. I've never seen acharacters change direction so fast so quickly as Lillete Dubey andPenelope Wilton (playing a character even more annoying that the one onDownton Abbey) in the blink of eye. I've never seen to many plots somany subplots tied up so neatly, so quickly. The real fun of the moviewas watch Dev Patel do his optimism shtick, but much of the rest wasfairly mundane.Lastly, the movie certainly failed at one level. I certainly didn'tconvince me that India was a place that I would ever want to go.
Ravi K Singh (08 May 2013)
A very good watch!
This movie reminded me of another movie named Outsourced. One majordifference being Outsourced had an American crew, whereas this one'sgot British. I had loved Outsourced and I loved this one too. Very highon emotional front, this movie talks about 7 old age Brtishers who hadto come a small time hotel named Marigold in Jaipur to spend last fewdays of their lives.With the actors like Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, TomWilkinson and Bill Nighy around - it was never going to be low onacting department. The only point to see was - how does director goabout portraying the fusion - something which was very nicely done inOutsourced. Movie scores amazingly there. The movie expectedly is shotaround Jaipur and the characters are quite special in themselves. Thereis one Gay in the movie who is retired High Courte judge, one lady whohates Indians, a couple who have spent 39 years together only to knowthat they have been humble and kind to each other rather than in love,and then we've got Judy Dench portraying the character of narrator ofthis film.This movie brings the essence of India and how a foreigner should lookat it. Its a different country with different values and culture. Itwas heartening to see the same being displayed with utmost honesty onthe screen.Well, there are certain flaws as well. Indian love birds, howevermodern they might be, still don't kiss in public. Indian hotels, eventhough meant for old age people are better maintained than what's showin the movie and the pieces attached to technology, as displayed in themovie, is poor. One can blame it to Jaipur city as its not as developedas, lets say Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore, but the place does looklittle outdated India.Another thing movie missed out to cash on was its festivals. There arehardly any captured. Director, I am sure, must have been in dilemma ofshowing Tajmahal or larger cities. It seems he compromised onglorifying the movie at cost of character development - something thatI think was quite appropriate. Its not necessary to show Tajmahal inevery Indian movie.With all the positives and negatives put together, this is onefantastic piece of art which I simply loved for its truthfulness.It garnered positive review upon release as well and stands at 78% atRotten Tomatoes and 7.2 at IMDb. I guess those ratings speak verylittle of what this movie is. I am no fan of Slumdog Millionaire, andthis movie is no where close to it, thankfully.It comes highly recommended from my side. It may not be perfect - butits honest to itself!
Tony Heck (07 May 2013)
A movie that I didn't want to see but it really won me over. Very good and I recommend this highly. I say B+
"Everything will be alright in the end, if it's not alright then it'snot yet the end." A group of retired strangers all want to get awayfrom everything and decide to book a stay at the luxurious MarigoldHotel in India. When they arrive they are very disappointed when theyfind out the brochure and pictures were not accurate. Little by littlethough they begin to become taken away by the charm of the city and thehotel. I have said that because of my job I watch just about everythingweather I want to or not. This is a movie that I really had no desireto watch at all. Could have been because I'm only 33 and this is gearedtoward people twice my age but I really put off as long as I could.After watching it I have to admit how wrong I was. I was almostinstantly grabbed by this and really ended up loving this movie. I'mnot sure what it was but maybe like the run down hotel the movie had acertain charm that really grabbed me. The outstanding cast helped a lottoo. I highly recommend this movie and I am still in shock at how muchI enjoyed this one. One of the signs of a good movie is one you reallyenjoy after having being forced to watch it in the first place and thisone passes that test. Overall, a great movie that really won me over. Igive it a B+.
jbohon (05 May 2013)
A Movie That Will Stay in Your Heart and Soul
This movie was an unexpected pleasure beyond all expectations -- it wasmagical. This is a movie that I never wanted to end. I found myselfwishing that I could meld with the characters on the screen and livetheir experiences with them. The entire cast was outstanding in everyway, bringing their character to life in such a realistic way that youforgot they were acting. I will see it again and again. I gave it aten-star rating on IMDb, but that wasn't a high enough score as thismovie is off every scale and can't be rated high enough. What apleasure to experience an intelligent story with well developedcharacters, exposure to other cultures and to feel the enchantment thismovie gives the audience.
Quietb-1 (05 May 2013)
The flower starts to wilt
Seven Brits head to a retirement hotel in India. The names appear onthe screen but don't worry there's not a quiz. Maybe seven was thecorrect number for the book but the movie is too long and some of thecharacters don't seem to get the attention they deserve.Judi Dentch gets the most attention and seems to be all knowing. Shevoice-overs the back story of some character including their thoughtsand motivations like she read the book. It becomes annoying when shelabels days by numbers. By the time it's day fifty one, does it matterif it was day thirty five or forty two? It's just chatter.Chatter is the problem with the movie. Too many scenes are dialoguedriven with one character listening to another characters story. On atleast one occasion we see a scene and then the character sits down andtells another character what we just saw. In one case a characterdescribes his visit to a smelly temple, don't talk about it, it's amovie, show it.The best scene wasn't ruined by dialogue. Two "old friends" hug and weknow what they have shared in the past, and that there is joy andforgiveness.Serviceable performances all around. Nobody breaks a sweat. The musictrack often becomes loud and distracting. "Ederly and beautiful" isdropped from the title in all promotion. The TV spot says "like thecoast of Florida" the movie says "Costa Brava". Beautiful photographyand interesting India locations may be worth the price of a matinéeadmission.
Review total: 20, showing from 1 to 20