The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - B

Rated PG-13, 118 minutes

Dench, Smith best thing about warm, touching "Marigold Hotel"

The charming new romantic drama "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is a calculated but enjoyable film with potential cross-age appeal and a superb cast. If it finds the right audience it could be an early summer sleeper in the vein of last year's "Midnight in Paris." The film, based on a 2004 best-selling novel "These Foolish Things," concerns several British retirees who "outsource" their retirement to India based on several reasons. For Evelyn (Judi Dench), it's a way to start over after her husband's passing; for Norman (Ronald Pickup), it's for new relationship possibilities; for Graham (Tom Wilkinson, solid but underused here), a high-level judge, it's about reconnecting with people he grew up with in India; for Douglas (Bill Nighy) and Jean (Penelope Wilton), it's for economic reasons; for Madge (Celia Imrie), it's about independence; and for the crusty Muriel (Maggie Smith), it's for health reasons. They converge on the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a run-down enterprise run by Sonny (Dev Patel), who has his own dreams in mind. At first reluctant to embrace their new surroundings and culture, the retirees soon become transformed by their experiences. Handsomely filmed and directed by John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love"), "Marigold Hotel" is a lovely, touching but flawed film. On the plus side, there's veteran actresses Dench and Smith, both of whom become the heart and soul of the film; yet the down side is these two Oscar-winners share little screen time and dialogue. Interestingly, Madden uses them in divide-and-conquer fashion in separate storylines; however, it's a wise move considering their stories are by far the most engaging. "Marigold" is too long and stuffed with too many characters (the movie would've been perfectly fine with just Dench, Smith, Nighy and Wilkinson), particularly a couple of unnecessary subplots drag down the film's middle section, but it comes together nicely (yet predictably) in the satisfying final act. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," much like the hotel itself, could've been shored up some, but as the film points out on more than one occasion, there's a certain beauty in old age, and you should take time to enjoy it. Worth a look for the always excellent Dench and Smith.