The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
Certified: PG
Duration: 122 minutes
Directed by: John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie , Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Tina Desai, Dev Patel, Lillete Dubey, Richard Gere, David Strathairn, Tamsin Greig
KRS Releasing Ltd
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was made on a $10 million budget, grossed over $130 million and showed that cinema success was not just for teenage-oriented films.
Now along comes The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which again displays a flawless sense of charm and breezy entertainment that make it the perfect postcard for India and shows off a cast that has all the right ingredients to make this second outing a success.
What is important here is that the film, three years down the line, has not lost any of its feel that made it so beloved with its audience.
As a film, this second outing seems to be a bit less urgent in tone, more relaxed as it spews the right atmosphere.
The characters, injected with a few surprising new faces and a couple of plot twists that returning director John Madden brings, delivers a film that makes checking in for the second time a pleasant experience.
Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) has now tasted success with the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful in Jaipur, India. Another building gives him another idea and in order to get the backing he needs, he takes a business trip to the US along with Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith), who has been both a guest and a business partner to him. Here they will meet with Ty Burley (David Strathairn), an investor.
When they are back home they know that Ty will be sending someone to check up on the hotel, and when Guy Chambers (Richard Gere), who claims to want to be an author, arrives, Sonny thinks this is him. This leads to him giving Guy the room that should have been given to a new guest, Lavinia (Tamsin Greig). Sunaina (Tina Desae), Sonny’s fiancée, does not agree. But Sunaina has a wedding on her hand and she must prepare the dance numbers, which leads to her getting close to Kushal (Shazad Latif), making Sonny jealous. There is also the fact that Guy starts to get near Sonny’s mother Mrs Kapoor (Lillete Dubey), who has long been a widow.
Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy) had become quite close to Evelyn (Judi Dench) when his wife Jean (Penelope Wilton) had ended the relationship. Evelyn is not sure of her feelings but she also has to get used to working as she manages to get a full-time job. Then there is Norman (Ronald Pickup), who thinks that his girlfriend Carol (Diana Hardcastle) has someone else on the side, while Madge (Celia Imrie) has a long list of suitors queuing up. The film’s title simply sums it up perfectly. It’s a sequel which knows that the surprise factor introduced in the sleeper hit from three years ago is no longer there. It knows that it is a sequel and is happily blaring it out loud.
I am also very happy that there is actually a sequel to a movie like this, showing that sequels are not just in the realm of superhero movies and action blockbusters. Fans of the first film will find this one to be very accommodating and an engaging light watch.
The cast is at its sparkling best as all concerned know they have bit parts in such a large cast, but all deliver with a shine and swagger to them, giving their performances an instant three-dimensional aspect.
Maggie Smith is hilarious with some really perfect one-liners, again evoking her character from Downton Abbey. Dev Patel seems to have transformed himself into the Indian version of Basil Fawlty, and Bill Nighy is Bill Nighy and I want nothing better than that from him.
Richard Gere brings in some Hollywood spice that makes for an unusual concoction. John Madden has increased the Bollywood nature of the movie and spiced up the background of the film, giving it a richer and more vibrant texture that more than makes this a welcome second outing.