O Exótico Hotel Marigold

Admit it: when was the last time you saw a film in which the seven lead roles are taken by British actors in their 60s and 70s? Never - right? So this is a movie aiming at a very different demographic than the usual teenage-targeted Hollywood fare and it is a refreshing and welcome change that will delight young as well as old.

The doyennes of the cast are Judi Dench and Maggie Smith who are both now in their late 70s but sparkle here as very different lonely singletons. Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton play a sweet and sour couple in the thespian menu. Tom Wilkinson is a retired judge with a secret. Finally Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup are two more sad souls who might or might not find solace together. All of the seven find that retirement can be 'outsourced' to an Indian hotel that certainly looks exotic in the (photoshopped) brochure, but actually needs somewhat more than the enthusiasm of its young manager (Dev Patel with romantic problems of his own).

The location of the hotel is Jaipur in northern India which is a character in itself and, since I have visited the city, I can attest to the wonderful vibrancy and colour of this extraordinary metropolis. But,as our seven intrepid Brits learn, India requires some adjustment to one's expectations and lifestyle and some make the adjustment sooner or better than others. A cynic might dub this multiple storyline of comedy and romance as "Love Geriatrically" and the characters are rather stereotypical, but this is a delightful movie that makes the viewer feel good about life.

When the Brits make a film well, we knock spots off the competition and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a completely joyous example of just such a film! You can keep your Artist, Midnight in Paris. etc. etc, this is two hours of pure bliss. This is the sort of film so well directed, that no one actor is better than another, even the cameo roles are brilliantly observed. Wonderful dialogue, superb acting, one minute exceptionally funny the next, moving. Well observed characters who you feel you know! Plus the added bonus of beautiful scenery, This is the first film I have seen for ages that made me want to stay and watch it all over again - it really is just one great big hug of a film that leaves you feeling very content!

If you liked '4 Weddings and a Funeral' (and who didn't) then you will love this film. The premise is simple: a collection of Brits of a certain age decide to spend their early retirement at a dubious, run- down hotel in Jaipur, India. This decision obviously involves a physical journey but more importantly, an emotion journey too. Gradually we learn the back story of these characters, and these stories are very fascinating indeed.

An absolutely stellar cast are well served by an intelligent witty script with some killer one-liners which are guaranteed laugh out loud. Only occasionally does it get sentimental, but somehow this doesn't matter, because the seductive nature of India weaves its spell not just on the characters but also on us.

It's good to see a film that doesn't treat retirement aged people as idiots. These people are intelligent, funny, curious and I would willingly share a g&t with them. An absolute gem of a film.

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.

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!