We had fallen out of the habit of going to the movies. In our opinion, Hollywood had lost touch with most of the population over the age of 25, along with reality in general. We no longer cared to pay $10 or more just to see a movie without a storyline or real substance. It seemed as if all the producers and directors in Southern California targeted middle-school boys as their only audience. Those boys needed explosions, fights, car chases, and sex to make a movie worthwhile.
Just when we thought Hollywood was a lost cause, along comes The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
We met some friends and they said they were going to see this movie and asked if we would like to accompany them. We agreed, but personally, I did not have high expectations for the movie. I tend to enjoy aviation movies, historical accounts (see Humor, Royalty, and The King’s Speech), and movies featuring realism over fantasy.
The movie started a little slow, but soon after the introduction, it took off. The introduction served to present some of the main characters of the story to the audience. These were older British couples and singles interested in stretching their retirement dollars—by moving to India to a hotel set up for an older clientele.
The story follows the Brits as they acclimate to a new and strange life in a foreign land. They have adventures and misadventures and they come to bond as friends from a common homeland.
They share their stories, their misgivings, and their hopes with one another. They meet Sonny Kapoor, the owner/manager/custodian/chef/and jack-of-all-trades of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. They come to know his girlfriend, Sunaina, and all the trials and tribulations they face trying to make their relationship work. And they soon discover all the wonderful qualities of the land in which they have found themselves living.
What makes this movie worth the admission is the universality of the story. In The Best Exotic, viewers young and old can find life lessons they should learn. From the story, everyone can take away some important tidbit of knowledge worth remembering.
This is one of the most spiritual and compelling stories to come out of the movie industry in a great while. It is very much worth your time and the cost of a ticket.
You will thoroughly enjoy this movie—unless you are a 14 year-old boy.
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©2012 J. Clark
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Thanks for sharing about the movie. We are always looking for a good movie. Still love the old black and white movies. Blessings on your day, Jeanne