Review of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) by Spangle — 06 Sep 2017

Certainly operating with material that is far below what this cast deserves and relying far too much on the age of the characters for comedy (lol they are old and about to die!), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is nonetheless a pleasant return to India. Putting the recently amended Stanton-Walsh-Nighy rule to the absolute test, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel gives Nighy very little to do over the course of its two hour runtime, yet he nonetheless steals the show. Is there anything this senior British charmer could not make passable? The fact that he is 67 years old and looks ten years older is truly tragic. God clearly needs to give him the same immortality that he has given Harry Dean Stanton (that man has looked 92 since he was 50). Setting Maggie Smith up to be killed also serves as a reminder of both her and Judi Dench's mortality, which is tragically coming up upon us. Killing Maggie Smith, however, is the death nail in this, right? There can be no The Third Best Exotic Marigold Hotel unless Nighy just takes over running the hotel, right?

Less funny than the first installment, watching the interplay between these British screen legends, this time joined by Richard Gere who, shockingly, plays against type as a charming middle aged man that makes middle aged women's ovaries explode (yes there is a line dedicated to this). Really stepping out of your comfort zone, eh Richard? David Straithairn also joins the cast in a small role and, as always, his performance serves as a reminder that, for some reason, he continues to be only able to get bit parts. Aside from Good Night, and Good Luck, when has Straithairn ever been able to really scoop up a majority of the film's running time? Frustratingly limited to what feels akin to a cameo role here, Straithairn nonetheless makes the most of it due to the rapport he builds with Smith in the two scenes in which he appears. For their parts, Smith and Dench once again turn in strong performances and further suggest that this is a film that could have been a classic, but is instead a largely fun, care-free, and rather funny film for your grandparents to watch and recommend to you.

On that grandparents note, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel dedicates much of its time to the romance angle, especially that between Nighy and Dench's characters. Operating on the theme that, just because one is old, it does not mean they need to stop living their life, the film's often rather powerful even if its will they or won't they romance between two people allegedly near death is a bit odd. Can these two old folks just get it on already or will the film make us wait for the sequel: The Best Afterlife Marigold Hotel? That said, with all of the reminiscing and looking ahead, the film does manage to be a rather powerful look at how age is not to be seen as a restraint to living one's life to the fullest. If anything, it is the reason to jump unabashed into the night and taking chances because, hey, it is all ending soon anyways.

A fun and light film, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has an excellently charming cast once again, it is a bit spottier with humor than its predecessor, and shows that these tires do have some wear on the tread. That said, as a return to the world of these characters - mainly the actors - is a welcome one with director John Madden able to make this one of those films that seem to defy logic and conventional rating systems. Instead, it is cliche, typical, and wholly unremarkable, but winds up leaving a goofy smile on your face after watching due to the joy expressed on the screen and the tears shed along the way. Though not an unforgettable cinematic classic, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a great film to use when wanting to pull the rug out from under your parents or grandparents and beat them to the punch when it comes to recommending this movie.