The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Every few years, Hollywood cranks out a marginal film featuring silver screen veterans dealing with old age in unique and supposedly funny ways. Whether it’s a last ditch effort to feel young, a journey to fulfill unfinished business, or a team of old pros called back into action, the results are usually shaky at best. Maybe it’s because The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was made outside of the Hollywood system that it defies the odds.

After reviewing their options, several retired Brits take a major risk and move to India to stretch their retirement dollars. Evelyn (Judi Dench) is broke thanks to her dead husband’s debts, while Jean (Penelope Wilton) and Douglas (Bill Nighy) are scraping by after investing in their daughter's stagnant web start-up. Graham (Tom Wilkinson) is looking for an old flame, while Madge (Celia Imrie) is on the prowl for a new flame. Norman (Ronald Pickup) is trying to cling to whatever youth he has left, while Muriel (Maggie Smith) needs a hip replacement on the cheap. Upon arriving at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, everyone is dismayed to find the place is the opposite of the pictures on the website. As the hotel manager, Sonny (Dev Patel), struggles to keep the place from falling apart, the seven guests band together to help each other out on many different levels.

Far from being a charming tale for the geriatric demographic alone, this film has the potential to play well to most age brackets. It’s not for the youngest of viewers but anyone with an adult level of maturity can find something to enjoy here. The characters may be somewhat formulaic but the filmmakers put enough refreshing twists on type to keep you emotionally invested and genuinely curious to see how each of these seven retirees adjust to their new surroundings.

Maybe it’s the pedigree of the cast or maybe British actors are just a better breed of talent in general, but all the principals do a wonderful job of making their characters feel real. Whether it’s portraying the fear and anxiety of new and intimidating surroundings or the general vulnerability that comes with aging physically and emotionally, the cast is remarkably spot-on. This makes for several powerful moments and also for a few humorous moments that you don’t see coming.

On the surface, Dev Patel’s hilarious character does feel like an obvious ploy to appeal to young adults and thirtysomethings who might not otherwise be interested in a film about old people. Patel is more than just a throwaway to the younger set though. His youth and inexperience contrast against his tenants and open up the door to both sides learning from each other. Some of these lessons are more predictable than others but they’re not executed poorly.

Cynics may consider this film a kind of Breakfast Club for the retirement home crowd but take heart in knowing that cynics are usually little more than an extremely vocal minority. There is no shame in liking this film, regardless of your age. Years of Hollywood beating these kind of ensemble dramas (from coming-of-age teen flicks to gray-haired adventures) has trained us to brace ourselves for inevitable disappointment. It may not live up to its name 100% but The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel houses very little, if anything, to be disappointed about.

RATING: 3.75 out of 5

Slumdog Millionaire** (2008)

If ever life imitated art, the unexpected success of Slumdog Millionaire is a prime example. From being nearly relegated to the direct-to-DVD market to becoming the Oscar-winning, feel-good hit of the year, this film’s success mirrors its story about an underdog from the slums of Mumbai going for riches on an Indian game show. A triumph in edgy filmmaking, this is a very rare kind of film that has the capacity to shock, disturb, fascinate and elate you through its breakneck pacing and tightly packaged drama. Slumdog Millionaire is a shining example of everything we love about movies.

Jamal Malik is a young man working the low end of the totem poll as an assistant (basically a coffee boy) for a cell phone company in Mumbai. By sheer luck he qualifies for the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Using the chance of a lifetime to get in touch with a long lost love, Jamal is suspected of cheating when he answers several questions correct. How could a common street rat know the answers to some of the show’s most difficult questions? Scenes of Jamal’s interrogation are intercut with flashbacks showing how the life of a common slumdog can yield a wealth of unanticipated knowledge.

One of the biggest highlights of the film is its uncompromising cinematography, which plants the audience into the heart of the impoverished shantytowns and desolate living conditions that exist in the shadows of India’s major cities. Director Danny Boyle doesn’t sugar coat anything but he also isn’t passing any judgment when he shows us some of the worst living conditions imaginable. In this way, he succeeds as a director. Whatever his motivation may be, he is leaving the audience to make our own decisions about the actions and places we see on the screen.

The content of these scenes of utter depravity are all shocking and, at times, terrifying. While Boyle may use some of these things to hammer home the living conditions of India’s poorest, he never shows anything for the sake of being gratuitous. This prevents the film from being tasteless despite some of the reprehensible things that we see. If nothing else, these scenes make us feel even more compassion and empathy for our protagonist. Some scenes play out for laughs, rightfully lightening the mood and giving the film balance. Some of these scenes may push the boundaries of suspension of disbelief for select viewers, but Slumdog Millionaire’s crisp pace moves you along before you can get comfortable enough to dwell on it.

In fact, comfortable is the last word I would think to use in describing this film. Danny Boyle never lets Slumdog Millionaire rest on its laurels. Sure, there must have been stretches where Jamal and his brother got by with minimal conflict but those are the kinds of scenes that fail to serve the story and only drag a film out. By trimming out the fat that hogs up many films (especially those that come to mind when you think of the Oscars) the film retains its edgy intent and never lets you back away from the edge of your seat for very long.

While pacing, cinematography and editing are all crucial components of telling a story via film, much more is needed to create the full package. Fortunately, Slumdog Millionaire also features fantastic acting from its adult and child stars alike. The children used to show Jamal and his brother were actually cast out a real slum in Mumbai. Their performances are effortless and give the film its heart. Dev Patel is terrific as the overwhelmed adult Jamal and Anil Kapoor is electrifying as the charismatic game show host.

All the sights, sounds and colors of India are amazing and blaze by to composer R.A. Rahman’s beautiful contemporary soundtrack. The beats fuel the most intense scene and the gentler tracks add that extra touch to the film’s tender moments. Even though most of the soundtrack is in either Hindi or Punjabi, it doesn’t take away even a fraction of its enjoyability. It adds an extra layer of Indian culture on top of a film that already contains more than most Westerners know about the second-most populous nation on Earth.

When everything clicks in a movie, something magical ensues. Slumdog Millionaire gushes with that magic. Underdog stories are nothing new to cinema but they are seldom done so right as this film. Perhaps it’s because Slumdog Millionaire was made outside of the major studio system. Maybe it’s because the film captures a glance at a world so foreign and unfamiliar to us Westerners. Whatever it is, Slumdog Millionaire is a success on every level and was deserving of every accolade thrown its way. If you love movies, this is an absolute must-see.

RATING: 4.25 out of 5