The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

"Share the journey. Share the laughter."

2012 2h 4m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,500

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than its advertisements, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways as the residents find new purpose in their old age.

“Share the journey. Share the laughter.”

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Cast

Bill Nighy
Douglas Ainslie
Maggie Smith
Muriel Donnelly
Tom Wilkinson
Graham Dashwood
Judi Dench
Evelyn Greenslade
Dev Patel
Sonny Kapoor
Penelope Wilton
Jean Ainslie
Celia Imrie
Madge Hardcastle
Ronald Pickup
Norman Cousins

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Madden
Writers: Ol Parker
Languages: English, Hindi
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $151M — a 15.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Madden, shot by Ben Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Madden directs. Ben Davis behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Chris Gill cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates. Dialogue in English, Hindi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $151M — a 15.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Hindi.
4International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates.
5Part of the "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by John Madden, shot by Ben Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Chris Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Share the journey. Share the laughter.".
11IMDB entry: tt1412386 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 33 themes, including "hotel", "operation", "based on novel or book", "holiday".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ben Davis
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Chris Gill
Production design: Alan MacDonald
Costume design: Louise Stjernsward
Makeup / hair: Luize Joyce Margaret
Stunt coordinator: Sham Kaushal
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $150,501,815
Return: 1505% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Part of

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Collection

The ongoing happenings at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

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John Madden

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb870696032012-06-05
★ 8.5/10
This is an excellent movie with a great cast. Before seeing the movie I saw one review categorizing it as having Benny Hill style comedy. I did NOT see that at all in this movie. In fact, one criticism that I have is that I'd liked to have seen a little more comedy. One of the characters is truly over the top, but not slapstick. But regardless this movie flows elegantly start to finish without being overly saccharine or morbid or falling back on what you might expect for comedy involving the elderly. This film won't move you like Slumdog Millionaire but it is a quality film in its own right.
Jack2020-05-12
★ 10/10
This is easily one of the best films I have ever watched. I cannot put it into words that will describe my feelings towards the film. From the very beginning to the very end, the characters were introduced excellently. You feel a strong bond for each and every character. Every single one of them are so relatable, as if this was a reality show and not a film. Especially in the days when most of the world continues to live repetitive lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people question the ordinary lives we all have. This film can be the one spark you need in your life to start over. Would I watch this again? Absolutely! Would I make my friends watch it? Without a doubt!
CinemaSerf2023-08-12
★ 7/10
We've all read brochures that extol the virtues of an hotel or resort (or maybe even read the effusive nonsense MUBI write about their daily, "hand-picked" film selection) so we won't be surprised to learn that when a selection of elderly Brits arrive at the ramshackle "Exotic Marigold Hotel", they are sure to be surprised. Recently widowed "Evelyn" (Dame Judi Dench), curmudgeonly "Mrs. Donnelly" (Dame Maggie Smith) and retired High Court Judge "Dashwood" (Tom Wilkinson) are amongst this motley collection who must adjust to their new lives in this vibrant and frenetically different city - all whilst under the watchful gaze of the enthusiastic, but pretty hapless young, and loved-up, hotel owner "Sonny" (Dev Patel). Yep, it plays to just about every stereotype in the book. That can either ruin it for you, or serve as quite a fun conduit to tackling some of these pre-conceived ideas and in some cases - from both cultures - hold them up to a bit of humorous scrutiny. The characters are possibly a bit too much of a potpourri of society. Gay, straight, happy, sad, lonely - you name it, but the character actors engaged here - especially Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup, I found - help to dismantle the template of ignorance that prevails at the start of this light-hearted comedy. The writing is often effective at illustrating that age (or declining health) is not necessarily a barrier to happiness and fulfilment, and though this film is very much more on the simplistic side of an evaluation of race, religion and creed - it's not meant to be a documentary. It's an enjoyable bit of cinema that does raise a smile.