Some British retirees decide to outsource their retirement to exotic, and less expensive, India. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Basically, there's just too much crammed into "Marigold Hotel" for any of it to have impact. It may work as comfort food for old folks, but a bit less may have yielded a great deal more.
There's little that's surprising about the film - everyone ends up pretty much where you'd guess - but that predictable quality becomes part of the pleasure of watching it, like a book that's happily reread.
Film Comment Magazine
June 20, 2013
It's a movie about finding purpose in life, late in life, that makes its point by first subjecting its characters to the most reductive grumpy-old-men/women shenanigans.
