The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I highly recommend this very enjoyable film. It is well-written and well-acted. It is a follow up to a prior film with the same actors “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, so from that point of view, it was interesting to see how the hotel experiment turned out. The actors are excellent (I mean Maggie Smith is always spot on). You do not have to have seen the first movie to watch this, but I would recommend watching both in order for the wonderful entertainment they provide.

I loved this movie, the same way I did the first! The hotel is run by very young Sonny Kapoor and his girlfriend, Sunaina What a funny, rich, interesting and endearing journey story of older Brits thinking they have found, after much research and internet searches, a perfect laid back retirement home for much less than in their country, with a possible exotic lifestyle. But as the saying goes, what appears to be too good usually isn't. And this place, largely, isn't. The building's walls are falling apart, the bedrooms are sparse, there is little running water, no plumbing, electricity and little furniture, and not all rooms are renovated. But the photography, the geography of the area, upclose, is spectacular! But then there is young, vibrant, optimistic Sonny and his girlfriend Sunaina, who is more than willing to help him upgrade his position and career. In this continuation (don't remember all the characters and detail) as the hotel is being refurbished, it then closes down. Sonny searches for a second companion hotel, and continues to see his girlfriend, Sunaia against his mother's wishes. Muriel, (Maggie Smith) becomes co-manager, with a new medical issue of her own, and spends most of her time at the hotel as Evelyn (Judi Dench) is offered a second job as a fabric buyer,(I think in California) for her higher knowledge of fabric and color, as Douglas (Bill Nighy) who wants to divorce his wife, is concerned about losing her, as they share daily, morning pancake outings, and as he is secretly falling in love and rejected, by Evelyn, who considers them no more than friends, having hoped to introduce his daughter. Meanwhile, Madge (Celia Imrie),divorced and isolating, finally leaves the hotel and soon finds two new suitors, competing with each other, deciding on which one she will choose and this plot ending surprised me. Meanwhile, Carol (Diana Hardcastle) and Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) just meet through Evelyn, and are soon having serious, funny, and misunderstood relationship issues, as he finds her sleeping around. The new guests, for one vacancy, are Guy, Richard Gere, a journalist and writer, who was writing a book but as he is quickly(who Sonny thinks is the company inspector of the hotel) taken in by the exotic and the area, lifestyle, and Lillete, Sonny's future mother-in-law, he has started to write chapters about each part of their relationship, and Livinia, who goes to a better hotel. I felt that the very exciting part of this movie, was the fresh, young optimistic energy of Sonny Kapoor, the so called owner/manager, of this hotel, with his girlfriend/fiance, Sunaina. Soon, Sonny's brothers, who share in the ownership, come up with bright, profit-making ideas on how to find another hotel and want to buy him out. With his struggles and now this, anger ensues. As well, his girlfriend's dancing partner, for a dance show, threatens his relationship and his newly approved impending marriage-chaos ensues. But, in the end with some sorrows, very good surprises, visual excitement abounds, laughter, joy and future possibility. Highly recommend. Both are great movies, for the young and the older.

Great movie

It is rare - too rare - in this day and age to find a movie that features an entire cast of actors who are true masters of their craft. Instead, we are too often bombarded by films that feature visually stunning special effects that mask mediocre performances and sub-par writing. That is decidedly not the case in "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." This is a film that features a virtual all-star team of actors, an exotic (and very colorful) locale, and some very fine writing. It is a story about growing old with as much grace as possible while discovering that love is not the strict province of the young. Because this is a sequel, there are some critics who have said this movie does not live up to the high bar set by "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." I think they are wrong in doing so for this is a separate movie. True, it has virtually the same cast and takes place in the same locale, however, it is its own film with its own objectives. Its purpose is not just to carry the story forward but also to explore new themes. For example, three of the hotel's residents have rejoined the working world while another couple struggles with the challenge of living in a monogamous relationship when conventional wisdom assumes that they are long past the age at which this question even arises. The residents must also cope with cross-cultural differences, the toll that aging takes on not only the body but also the mind, and the heightened awareness of their own mortality. The story revolves around two main issues: The impending wedding of hotel owner Sonny (played by Dev Patel) and his fiancee (played by Tina Desai) and his efforts to buy and develop a second residence for older men and women. As part of his efforts to secure a loan for the second property, he must cope with an undercover inspector sent by the corporation that he is asking for financial backing. That leads to some unexpected - and often charming - consequences not only for Sonny but also for the other residents of the hotel and his widowed mother. Joining the cast for this movie are Richard Gere and Tamsin Grieg. Both blend in beautifully with A-listers Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and the rest of the cast that returned for this sequel. I make a point of that because it's not always easy to do so, especially given the huge success of the first film. The cinematography is excellent, giving viewers a real sense of what it is like to live and work in modern India and the direction is sure handed. I am a writer by profession and am often overly critical of movie scripts but I must admit I had no issues with this one. The story moves along in a smooth, well-reasoned fashion and the plot - while a little convoluted - is well imagined. The dialogue is often hilarious but throughout the movie the actors are given ample opportunity to express a wide range of emotions. For my money, this is a 5-star film and one that I will enjoy watching many times over the course of the next few years.

Entertaining...but not as good as the first Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Love this movie! The characters, acclaimed actors and culture. As a senior, I wanted to hop on a plane and join them. My friends love it also.

Absolutely enjoyed the first movie and the 2nd.

In some ways, better than the first for plot - but truly, the first is so unique! As the first has several mini stories around the larger one, so too is this one using the same plot device. Richard Gere is not the big hero, though he struts in and out as one. But he does has a plot line to serve. The original cast is the centerpiece and still the solid part of the movie’s plot and bringing back an ex with her own story was a clever way to resolve an issue. Like the first, Dench and Smith characters are played to aplomb by the Dames with Bill Nihy doing a superb job still gaining ground as an independent but sensitive character. The ending was hard earned and a relief as the plot seemed to be going down a particular path far too long. Great and fun finish. David Strathairn may be getting credit as the star - he’s only in it for the first few minutes - so whoever is listing this movie better actually watch it!

Excellent feel good movie. This is the sequel to the first one - Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Had to have it to add to my library of "watch again" movies.

Entertainment

Ich schreibe normalerweise keine Rezensionen für Filme, weil ich da einfach nicht das Wissen habe, worauf es dabei so ankommen mag. Aber bei den vielen schlechten Rezensionen kann ich mich nicht zurückhalten. Ich habe jetzt den 1. und den zweiten Teil nacheinander auf DVD gesehen und verstehe wirklich nicht, warum manche den Film so schlecht finden. Ich habe ihn allerdings in englisch gesehen, da mich die Übersetzungen mittlererweile nur noch nerven, weil es immer wieder Dinge gibt, die dann plötzlich keinen Sinn machen oder etwas völlig Anderes bedeuten. In diesem Film kann man im Englischen an der Stelle mit dem Verschütten des heißen Tees/Kaffees den Übergang von amerikanischem Englisch zu britischem Englisch hören. (Für die, die sich fragen, wie Mrs Donnelly zu ihrer Schlußfolgerung gekommen ist. Ein weiterer Hinweis ist die Bestellung mit dem Teebeutel neben der Tasse. Am Anfang des Films stellt Mrs Donnelly das als typische amerikanische "Unart" dar.) Ja, der Film mag recht vorhersehbar sein. Aber er bleibt dabei immer charmant, statt mir sauer aufzustoßen. Ein dickes Plus, finde ich. Ja, Sonny mag sich scheinbar wieder ein Stück zurückentwickelt zu haben. Aber ist das im wahren Leben nicht so? Veränderung passiert nicht von jetzt auf gleich. Man geht nicht immer nur vorwärts, hin und wieder gibt es auch Rückschläge, verfällt man wieder in alte Muster (, weil es einfacher ist als sich permanent bewußt vor Augen zu führen, was man tut/sagt bis die alten Muster endlich mal durchbrochen sind). Egal, wie viele Hollywoodfilme uns weis machen wollen, das ein unsicherer Niemand plötzlich zum vor Selbstbewußtsein strotzenden Superhelden mutiert. Abgesehen davon, hätte Sonny bei weitem nicht so gut zum Ende hin "wachsen" können, wenn er zu Beginn nicht ein liebenswerter, unsicherer junger Mann gewesen wäre. Ich finde sehr wohl, dass Mrs. Donnelly ihrem Charakter aus dem ersten Film treu geblieben ist. Sie war nie ein strahlender Sonnenschein. Wenn sie etwas nicht interessiert, interessiert es sie eben nicht. Sie weiß, dass jedem nur begrenzte Zeit und Energie zur Verfügung stehen und hat für sich halt beschlossen, das nicht auf (aus ihrer Sicht) Lapalien zu verschwenden, sondern sich mit dem zu befassen, was (für sie) zählt. Das Hotel und die Möglichkeit für die Bewohner dort bleiben zu können gehörte für sie im ersten Teil zu den Dingen, die zählen, und deswegen hat sie sich engagiert. Nicht weil sie plötzlich eine charakterliche 180 Grad Wendung absolviert hätte. Douglas Ainslie kann keine Reden auswendig lernen. Was ist daran ungewöhnlich? Hat von Ihnen schon mal jemand ein Referat gehalten? Erinnerungsstützen auf Karteikarten sind da erlaubt. Machen Sie das mal bei einer Führung vor Touristen, die dafür bezahlen. Die werden dazu einiges zu sagen haben. Außerdem paßt es zum Film. Wenn man älter wird, wird das Erinnern schwieriger. Und warum sollte ein Rentner seine Zeit und Energie auf etwas verschwenden, das einfach nicht mehr funktionieren will und sich mit Mikrofon regeln läßt? In Bezug auf Guy Chambers "Wandel": Mit den Worten von Mrs Donnelly: "You have no idea now, what you will become. Don't try and control it. Let go. That's when the fun start." Neue Eindrücke, neue Bekanntschaften etc. Alles kann sich ändern, sogar man selbst, wenn man es zuläßt. (Aber -wie oben erwähnt- sofern "alte Muster" involviert sind, bedarf es im Anschluß auch einiger Arbeit an sich selbst.) Ich muß ganz ehrlich sagen, dass mir dieser Film sogar etwas besser gefällt als der erste. Er hat einfach eine fröhlichere Grundstimmung. Es ist im übertragenen Sinne wie mit Guy Chambers: Der erste Film war über ein Ende von Dingen, und: Was mache ist jetzt daraus? Dieser zweite Film zeigt uns, was werden kann, wenn man sich auf den Weg macht genau das herauszufinden. Ich finde die Botschaft dieses Films einfach positiv. Für wen sich der Film (meiner Meinung nach) lohnt: Jeder der auch Spaß daran haben kann, wenn ein Film den simplen Alltag und die menschlichen Unzulänglichenkeiten im Umgang miteinander (insbesondere auch denen, die einem am Herzen liegen) sowie die Unfähigkeit eine Entscheidung zu treffen, weil es ja die falsche oder auch richtige sein könnte -je nachdem wovor man angst hat-, thematisiert. Aber auf sehr charmante und unaufdringliche Art.

I absolutely loved this! It's total feel good at it's best and achieved that rare thing - a sequel better than the original. Ok so it does contain possibly one spoonful of sugar more than most of us take. And yes, the happiness abounds and is very neatly packaged with the odd cliche here and there. But did it matter? No. Because the cast is solid gold and could pull off anything. And this wasn't just 'anything'. It's beautifully and touchingly acted. Brilliant dialogue - many of the best lines going to Maggie Smith (of America 'I went with low expectations and was disappointed') - and the expert direction of John Madden and Designer Martin Childs (both of Shakespeare in Love) - and the stunning backdrop of India. It just worked. And suspending my disbelief is never a problem when I am watching a film of this calibre. Movies are supposed to help us escape. With a stellar cast of the most brilliant actors - Dev Patel held his own, and some. He played it just right and I loved his dance scene with the radiant bride. Genuinely touching. Often amusing. Sometimes sad. Oh, and with Richard Gere too. What more could you ask for.

Exactly what I ordered. Brand new.