Stay at the Second BEst Exotic Marigold Hotel
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” has an audience that skews toward the older set. That makes sense since its recognizable stars are all over 60. Richard Gere has been added to the cast that includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Celia Imrie. There are some younger characters including the hotel owner Sonny Kapoor, played by Dev Patel, and his fiancé.
Ostensibly, the story revolves around Kapoor’s attempt to expand his hotel business while in the midst of getting married. The movie carries subtitles that provide unneeded context while delineating the time in the wedding preparations where the story is. There are other wasted moments in the film that seem like they were added for no real reason. However, these extravagances, which point to the movie not trusting its audience to get it, aren’t the least of the flaws. The movie is heavy handed with its messages of age and the human condition. People at every age still need to be loved, accepted and to fulfill their own sexual desires. Because the cast is older, these needs seem more desperate, more immediate because death is just a silly metaphor away, especially in a place where they do a roll call in the morning just to make sure no one has died. There are several funny moments at the beginning of the film; some of them including cheating, murder and, of course, death. With messages like “planting trees that she will never experience the shade of,” and “Let go. That’s when the fun starts,” “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” gives its best wisdom in “there is no present like the time.” All in all, giving your time to this movie is a decent gift to yourself. |
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