The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel based on the novel by Deborah Moggach

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel based on the novel by Deborah Moggach

There is much to like in this comedy, nominated for two Golden Globes, one for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and another for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – again, Comedy or Musical.

The cast is the epitome of Nec Plus Ultra: Judy Dench as Evelyn Greenslade, Tom Wilkinson as Graham Dashwood, Bill Nighy aka Douglas Ainslie, Maggie Smith in the role of Muriel Donnelly.

There is nevertheless a discordant note – Dev Patel, perhaps not experienced enough, overwhelmed maybe by the stars surrounding him or misguided by the director or some other mentor, decides to exaggerate, play over the top, use melodrama and too heavy touches for his character, Sonny Kapoor, manager of the Exotic Hotel, at least up to a point.

The intentions were good – only “hell is paved with good intentions” – for this is a comedy, the manager has a multitude of problems, but he has to answer with optimism- you can get your money back…now?...yes…in a few months…

Stories that are presented by various characters bring tenderness, emotions and mirth, such as in the case of Muriel Donnelly, who used to work in a house as help, tries to instruct the housekeeper at the hotel.

What is actually criticism, for she tells the poor Indian to use her broom in a different manner, to clean better, becomes an unexpected, fantastic opportunity for an incredible rapprochement.

The employee is a pariah and as such, the traditional Indians avoid to even coming across her shadow, that cast is untouchable, therefore when the British woman talks to her, she is exhilarated, honored beyond belief – although or because she does not understand what the old client is saying.

Muriel Donnelly is invited to the untouchable’s house, to meet the family, enjoy a special treat prepared for her, in the room where there are perhaps thirty five people, the rather rigid foreigner would not touch that food, only the translator who is there specifies that it would be a mortal insult to refuse it.

As the scores of relatives watch intensely and in awe the god like visitor, some children play with the wheel chair that had brought the elderly to this destitute neighborhood and in an amusing, if embarrassing moment, the stately British subject starts shouting without a trace of pomp and circumstance…

Douglas Ainslie is a remarkable, affable, friendly, positive traveler, married to a woman who is negative, critical, obnoxious, morose, who is appalled when he accepts some food on the way to their hotel and generally by almost anything he does.

Douglas becomes friendly with Evelyn Greenslade, who is a much better match than what his spouse had become, a burden that is too much to bear, in spite of his proclaimed and demonstrated loyalty and affection for a partner that is causing almost exclusively cause for chagrin.

Evelyn Greensdale has an interesting experience as she tries to get a job in a local outsourcing company, where she eventually becomes a tutor, explain the young people working in this call center the culture, attitudes of their Western clients, the way they watch various shows when a call is through with an offer, the manner in which to insinuate in their interests…How to Win Aged Friends and Influence Old People…

Graham Dashwood is returning to the place where he spent time in his youth, became friends with an Indian man, that relationship became intimate, while they enjoyed their time one night, they were caught off guard, the family of the lover was sent off and ever since the British man had thought about what happened to his former partner.

As he opens his heart in front of Evelyn, Graham is tormented by the thought that he had not tried to do anything, how much worse it must have been for the man who had to face local traditions, the hostility, wrath of the relatives, community.

This is a more sensitive, emotional side of one of the visitors, but the arrogant, detached, superior perspective is ridiculed, satirized in this motion picture, where some of the prejudices are exposed, the attitude of some Westerners who look down on other races, inhabitants of lands that they consider uncivilized.

Sonny Kapoor has his own problems, although it is rather difficult to sympathize with him when his show is so melodramatic and comes across as false and inflated.

When his mother comes to the Exotic Hotel, we see that Sonny is not the favorite son, not the second favorite, but only comes in line third, after his more successful and loved siblings, working in Canada, enjoying tremendous success, while he is “wasting time” with his girlfriend.

Mother wants an arranged marriage, therefore rejects the girl that the son is involved with – the question of love is difficult to assess here – and even takes the step to throw out of the place, with a rather stupid, powerless, dejected and ultimately despicable Sonny watching the humiliation and doing…nothing.

There is much to like about this film, but alas, much to decry also.