The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

3/5

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a fairly predictable feel-good movie about a group of exceptionally uninspired characters who, for various personal reasons, all end up at the titular Indian resort for the elderly. One is looking for his long-lost love (Wilkinson), one is recovering from the loss of a loved one (Dench), one couple is examining possible retirement homes (Nighy, Wilton), one Lothario (Pickup) and one gold-digger (Imrie) are looking for partners. Oh, and of course, one is a racist who actually has a heart of gold (Smith), shuttled off to a foreign country for reasons well beyond her control.

All in all, the movie is entertaining and enjoyable. It has its moments of laughter and bittersweet tenderness. And it ends with a particularly stirring image. But for all the tearjerking, it's a rather simple exercise in plotting and characterization. It feels more like a postcard of India filled with caricatures than a believable story. The characters simply don't feel realistic; they change the whole course of their life based on a few days in a foreign country. But unlike this movie, people don't actually change so dramatically after going on a vacation and being exposed to new and different ideas. Even people who realize that something needs to change in order for them to be happy don't do it willy-nilly. (And I still can't for the life of me figure out why the racist lady all of a sudden becomes un-racist.) It's fine as far as entertainment goes, but it doesn't feel like it holds much substance in the end.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1412386/

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

4/5

Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding is a touching movie about the somewhat rushed marriage of an Indian family's only daughter and the numerous other intricately connected subplots on the days leading up to the wedding ceremony. New love blossoms as old secrets are revealed. The story is poignant, the filmmaking is active, and the costume and set design are colorful and vibrant. The acting feels natural and real, and I especially liked the integration of English and Hindi. Nair paints a very convincing portrait of modern Indian culture, right down to the earthy hues, and she does it in a way that doesn't alienate people like me who aren't fans of Bollywood cinema.

Nair's later film The Namesake is not nearly as good, in my eyes. It sprawls too much. Monsoon Wedding is contained to a few days, which helps for the narrative's structure and the audience's expectations of where they are in the movie and when it's going to end. All in all, this movie is an excellent example of non-Bollywood Indian cinema and is a fun--but not shallow--movie on the ties that bind us together, whether through love, family, or culture. Highly recommended.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265343/