Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The

USA 2011, 124 minutes
Dir. John Madden
Rating: [PG] Coarse language and sexual references
Genres: Drama, Comedy

Feat. Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup, Dev Patel

“A sterling cast and a fine balance of comedy and poignancy make this a pleasure-filled journey.”~Hollywood Reporter

Aroview: A gaggle of British senior citizens are charmed by the 'real' India when they check into a run-down Jaipur hotel they believed was a luxury retirement resort in this cheerful late-life drama.

Judi Dench - who lives up to her title as the grand Dame of the British screen - is demur and radiant in her late 70's, and Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy have likewise never been more likable, though Downton Abbey regulars Penelope Wilton and Maggie Smith fair less well with their "whinging pom" stereotypes. Yes, it is a silver-haired LOVE ACTUALLY goes India, but its surefire brand of genteel escapism hardly promises more than it delivers, and it effortlessly turned in as one of the highest grossing films of its year.