FilmSkool — a free film school
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways as the residents find new purpose in their old age.
2012 · Directed by John Madden · 124 min · Drama · Comedy · Screenplay in the scene database · 13 frames
Tagline
Share the journey. Share the laughter.
Plot
Several British retirees decide to move to Jaipur, India, to stay in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, advertised as an exotic retirement home. Evelyn Greenslade, a widowed housewife, must sell her house to pay off her husband's debts; Graham Dashwood, a High Court judge who lived in Jaipur as a child, abruptly retires to return there; Jean and Douglas Ainslie hope to have an affordable retirement, after investing in their daughter's internet business; Muriel Donnelly, a former housekeeper, decides to have a hip operation in India to avoid waiting times; Madge Hardcastle, after several unsuccessful marriages, searches for new romance overseas; and Norman Cousins, an aging lothario, attempts to relive his youth.
After an eventful journey to Jaipur, the retirees discover the hotel is a dilapidated site, run by the energetic but inept manager, Sonny Kapoor. Sonny's mother moves into the hotel in the hope of convincing her son to invest in a more secure job. Evelyn gets a job at a local call centre, where Sonny's girlfriend Sunaina and her older brother Jay work. Graham takes long walks in search of familiar ground. While Jean hides in the hotel, overwhelmed by the cultural changes, Douglas explores the city. Muriel, at first xenophobic to Indians, comes to appreciate her doctor and her maid Anokhi. Madge joins the Viceroy Club and, surprised to find Norman there, helps him get into a relationship with a woman named Carol.
Graham confides to Evelyn that he is gay, returning to Jaipur to find his long lost Indian lover Manoj, whom he had to leave due to a scandal involving the pair. He, Evelyn, and Douglas eventually find Manoj, who has been happily married for years, but is overjoyed to see Graham again. Some time later, Graham passes away peacefully from an existing heart condition. After Graham's funeral, Evelyn breaks down in Douglas' arms, over her husband's death. Jean, increasingly pessimistic and envious, accuses Douglas of having an affair, only for Douglas to denounce their marriage. Jean then reveals their daughter's business has paid off, and they can return home.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Ol Parker
- Cinematography: Ben Davis
- Edited by: Chris Gill
- Music: Thomas Newman
- Production design: Alan MacDonald
- Produced by: Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin
Cast
- Bill Nighy as Douglas Ainslie
- Maggie Smith as Muriel Donnelly
- Tom Wilkinson as Graham Dashwood
- Judi Dench as Evelyn Greenslade
- Dev Patel as Sonny Kapoor
- Penelope Wilton as Jean Ainslie
- Celia Imrie as Madge Hardcastle
- Ronald Pickup as Norman Cousins
- Tina Desai as Sunaina
- Lillete Dubey as Mrs. Kapoor
Production
- Country: United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates
- Language: English, Hindi
- Studios: Fox Searchlight Pictures, Participant, Image Nation Studios, Blueprint Pictures
- Budget: $10,000,000
- Box office: $150,501,815
- Themes: hotel, operation, based on novel or book, holiday, married couple, asia, affectation, melancholy, racist, india
Own the film
FilmSkool earns a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases, at no cost to you.
More by John Madden
On this film
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.