THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (PG)
4 stars
Towards the end of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a secret inspector is asked for an honest assessment of Jaipur’s luxury development for residents in their golden years.
The inspector concludes that, behind the scenes, management of the hotel is shambolic, but unerring affection for the staff makes it a four-star destination for “the elderly and beautiful”.
The same honest appraisal applies to John Madden’s entertaining sequel to 2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Ol Parker’s script is haphazard and several plot strands are flimsy, but our emotional investment in the characters papers over the cracks. Audiences who check into this second chapter will be treated to the same pungent Jaipur backdrops and good-humoured service, with a fresh lick of dramatic paint courtesy of new arrivals, played with easygoing charm by Tamsin Greig and Richard Gere.
The dashing star of American Gigolo and Pretty Woman takes on sex symbol status here, causing groom-to-be Sonny (Dev Patel) to quip: “The man is so handsome, he has me urgently questioning my own sexuality.”
At 65, Gere evidently still has it.
While the first film was lovingly adapted from Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things, the sequel tumbles straight out of scriptwriter Parker’s imagination.
He struggles to provide each resident with a compelling narrative arc: some are surplus to requirements, while others relish the trials and tribulations that test fledgling romances and fractious friendships to breaking point.
Sonny and business partner Muriel (Maggie Smith) travel abroad to seek investment for a second hotel from business chief Ty Burley (David Strathairn) and return to India, mindful that funding is dependent on a review from a secret inspector.
“How was America?” asks Evelyn (Judi Dench), welcoming them home.
“It made death more tempting,” retorts Muriel.
English traveller Lavinia (Greig) and American novelist Guy (Gere) arrive soon after and Sonny is convinced that Guy must be the inspector, so he ignores Lavinia and lavishes attention on the writer.
Guy’s arrival sends Madge (Celia Imrie) into a swoon – “Lordy lord, have mercy on my ovaries” – while Douglas (Bill Nighy) struggles to communicate his feelings to Evelyn.
Meanwhile, Sonny is pre-occupied with his impending nuptials to Sunaina (Tina Desai) and a simmering rivalry for his fiancee’s affections from snake-hipped family friend Kush (Shazad Latif).
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel delivers the same winning formula of laughter and tears, eliciting strong performances from Dench, Nighy and Smith at her acid-tongued, indomitable best.
The course of true love, even in twilight years, never runs smooth, and Parker composes variations on a theme of amour, while peppering his script with pithy one-liners.
“There is no present like the time,” professes one wise soul.
Madden’s film is certainly a gift: you get everything you expect, but nothing more.
FOCUS (15)
Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid, Love) co-direct and write this erotically charged thriller about a con man, who gets a large dose of his own bitter medicine. Nicky (Will Smith) is a seasoned master of misdirection, who can talk the talk and charm even the most cynical targets into falling for his moneymaking schemes. He becomes romantically entangled with novice con artist Jess (Margot Robbie) and she, in turn, becomes his willing protegee. In the process of teaching Jess the tricks of his illicit trade, Nicky realises that his feelings are clouding his judgment and he promptly ends the relationship. Three years later, Nicky is in Buenos Aires at a race-car circuit for his latest and incredibly lucrative ruse. The stakes are high . . . then Jess reappears, now a fully fledged femme fatale, and she throws consummate con man Nicky’s plans into a tailspin. A fierce battle of the sexes between former mentor and pupil escalates out of control.