Now that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is full up with its long-term residents, co-managers Muriel Donnelly and Sonny Kapoor have a dream of expansion, and they';;ve found just the place: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. As his marriage to Sunaina, the love of his life, quickly approaches, Sonny finds his plans for the new hotel making more claims on his time than he has available. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is Muriel, the keeper of everyone';;s secrets. As the big day nears, family and guests alike find themselves swept up in the irresistible intoxication of an Indian wedding.​
Critics Of "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"
San Diego Reader
March 06, 2015
There's a sweetness to the proceedings that never quite overpowers the melancholy of maturity, and a sympathy for human frailty that stops just short of suggesting that anything goes once everything starts to go.
The sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, retains some of the original's delectable bits but over-eggs the cake to the point of making the audience gag.
This is helped greatly by the easy charm of the prestige stars, many of whom are old mates and settle into variations on their sweetly standard shtick, with Smith, of course, making every knacker's-yard one-liner zing.
Whether or not it succeeds will depend on how individual viewers weigh the movie's narrative flaws against the profound appeal of its stars and setting. For my part, it was a reminder that sometimes second best is good enough.
