THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (John Madden). 122 minutes. Some subtitles. Rating: NNN
Where to watch: iTunes
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is all about director John Madden and screenwriter Ol Parker replicating the pleasant, empty charms of their 2012 collaboration – providing two more agreeable hours of life-affirming pap without condescending to their aging audience.
It’s a few months later, and the first movie’s surviving characters – played by the likes of Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle – are still enjoying the casual exoticism of Jaipur. Everyone is happy. Life is mostly good.
The sequel’s title refers to a new hotel that Dev Patel‘s fussy Sonny wants to open, which necessitates the involvement of an American corporation and the anticipated arrival of an undercover inspector at the original Best Exotic – right around the time that Richard Gere turns up as a dashing Yank with an eye for Sonny’s mother (Lillete Dubey). There’s also the matter of Sonny’s wedding to lovely Sunaina (Tina Desai), which adds another level of stress to the poor guy’s life.
I could have done with less of Sonny’s comical wittering and more of grand dames Smith and Dench sitting around sipping drinks in the sun, but honestly? The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel wasn’t made to please me. It’s for a different audience, and they will get exactly what they want from it.