Indian Palace: Suite royale

...but managed pretty well.

There's a terrible risk with producing a sequel to a unique, quirky and successful movie. For want of a better cliché, it's flogging a dead horse.

This film confronted that risk and trounced it soundly. I was wondering how the heck the producers would manage it, and went to the cinema expecting to be disappointed at best and mildly annoyed at worst. But no. I left uplifted, happy and feeling as though I had wasted neither the time nor the ticket price.

The characters continue to develop. New characters are introduced but are generally given the chance to have their own back stories as well. The film genuinely manages to give the impression of being a candid look at the lives of a disparate bunch of people - their interactions, hopes, fears, prejudices and so on are all laid bare for us, as before, yet somehow it still manages to feel fresh.

There are real, proper laughs, some fantastic one-liners and some very well done moments of pathos. It's beautifully filmed and the big set-pieces are a delight.

In short it steps into the large boots of its predecessor, and fills them nicely. Go and see it.

Considering how great the first film was, 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' had a lot to live up to. Despite the mixed reviews, the cast are such a talented one and it did look interesting. Did also question the point initially and, considering that sequels with a few exceptions rarely are as good or better than their predecessors, expectations were sort of mixed.

Finally seeing 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', it was moderately enjoyable but with a fair share of faults so was a disappointment compared to its predecessor. Not as bad as some reviewers have made out, but it could have been much better and the complaints/criticisms are understandable and legitimate from personal opinion.

Starting with 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel's' faults, it does get off to a slow start with the first half an hour taking too long to get going. There are also too many subplots, some of them not developed enough, slow the film down and are a little too contrived-ly written.

Not all the cast work this time either. Dev Patel and Tamsin Grieg are annoying, but worst of all is an out of place Richard Gere who is very wooden as a character that was better left out. A little too heavy on the clichés too, with not enough done to make them interesting.

However, 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' looks absolutely splendid. It's gorgeously filmed and the scenery is to die for. As is the lovely and authentic in flavour music.

Parts of the script do work well, though the first film achieved a better balance of funny comedy and heartfelt drama. There are some heart-warming life lessons, some funny witty moments, uplifting warmth and cosy charm. The story is problematic, being a bit slow going in places and bloated, but does boast enough heart and charm, the ending is very touching.

Of the talented cast, the standouts are the always good Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. Bill Nighy is a lot of fun too as is Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup similarly charms. One does miss Tom Wilkinson however.

In summary, second best but not second rate. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I took my mum to watch this as she is the same age as the characters so identifies with them and plot. But I equally found it a positive take on the opportunities in old age albeit in an exotic somewhat fantastical environment. It does acknowledge the downsides of getting old but sends the message that these will occur anyway.......but the good stuff can still happen to those who are open to it, whatever your age.

Fabulous casting with every character a joy to watch and all of whom seem to be enjoying themselves immensely.

Some reviewers seem to be disappointed that this film isn't ground breaking or 'gritty' enough with its plot or dialogue. But if you liked Best Exotic Marigold, this is like catching up with old friends who always make you smile. A gentle film told with humour and warmth.

I have such a huge affection for the first film, it's so warm, captivating and funny. The follow up had huge shoes to fill, and for the most part it does. I founds the first thirty minutes a little pedestrian, but after that it opened up and turned into a beautiful film. It's very emotionally charged, puts you in a hugely reflective state and really draws you in. It terms of acting it was never going to fail was it? There is a host of stellar acting going on, Maggie, Judi, Celia etc are all glorious, but this time I was hooked on Bill Nighy's character, he's just fabulous.

I applaud this film for capitalising on the more mature acting talents out there, even though the second offering focuses slightly more on the youngsters, who are also brilliant, fans of Toast of London will recognise Clem Fandango!!

An excellent film that makes me desperate for a third. BTW Richard Gere has no right to still be that handsome!

9/10

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a surprise hit in 2012, leveraging the "oldies" out of their armchairs and into the cinemas in droves: the film returned around 15 times its modest $10M budget. Now three years later comes the sequel – the amusingly titled "Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", and its much of the same again. After all, why break a winning formula? Set eight months after the original, and with an enviable occupancy record, expansion is on the cards for the Marigold Hotel. Sonny (Dev Patel) and Muriel (Maggie Smith) head to San Diego in search of investment funding from the US company Evergreen Inc, with the view to expand the franchise into a second property and beyond. There is interest from the owner Ty Burley (David Strathairn, probably best known as the head of Treadstone in the Bourne films) but that interest also brings the threat of a hotel inspector making Sonny (now back in India) suspicious of every new face. Richard Gere's appearance as a wannabe novelist sparks a particularly frantic burst of sucking-up, the farce surrounding these scenes being very reminiscent of the famous Fawlty Towers episode.

Sonny and Sunaina (Tina Desai) are to be married, and the storyline compounds the stresses associated with the business expansion with the stresses associated with the rituals and relationships surrounding the nuptials. Adding fuel to the fire is the unwelcome intervention – in both love and business – of a rich and good-looking family friend and rival (Shazad Latif), bringing the couple's relationship to breaking point. In a slew of secondary story lines, the rest of the ensemble cast comprising Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, Diana Hardcastle (sidenote: wife of Tom Wilkinson) and Penelope Wilton pursue love and happiness against the romantic backdrop of Jaipur.

It is hard to actively dislike this film. Like the first film, and like similar recent films such as The Hundred Foot Journey, the esteemed cast demands your attention from the off and the lush colours of India (strikingly enhanced by the job of Evelyn – Judi Dench – in fabric procurement) wrap around you and warm you like a favourite cardigan. The script entertains, with good humour throughout and a smattering of laugh-out-loud lines. In terms of the acting, there is nothing like a Dame and both Dench and Smith are once again excellent, displaying nuanced and – particularly in Smith's case – very moving performances. Bill Nighy (after the strikingly different performance in "Pride") is back into reliable Bill Nighy acting territory again! New to the cast in this outing is one of my favourite comedy actresses Tamsin Greig ("Episodes") and Richard Gere, looking more silver-fox than ever.

But a particular joy for me was Ronald Pickup, celebrating 50 years in the business (after a debut in Dr Who!) who turns in a stellar performance as the besotted but slightly neurotic Norman Cousins.

Another star of the film is India itself. Having had the opportunity to travel extensively, I have never been particularly drawn to India: but this film does more for the Indian Tourist Board than a host of travel brochures ever could. Jaipur looks breath-taking – who knew they had a "Great Wall of China"? – and I may need to reconsider my future travel itinerary.

John Madden ("Mrs Brown", "Shakespeare in Love") directs again, with Thomas Newman scoring.

Any sequel will naturally be compared against its original and, whilst good, this is no "Empire Strikes Back". The film tries to partition itself into the different stages of the wedding preparations, but this becomes rather forced and irritating, particularly since the whole wedding storyline, and the mining of Sonny's jealous streak, gets a bit tiresome. I yearned to be left alone with more time for the quieter and more subtle love story lines permeating the rest of the film.

The script also tends to overly labour the 'you're old so you're about to die' angle in a manner that seems at times to be rather patronising.

But in summary, if you enjoyed the original then you won't find the sequel to be much of a disappointment.

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