Second Exotic: Bland and familiar
FILM | Chuck Koplinski
The last thing I expected going into The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was to hear the whiny blues-rock strains of George Thorogood and the Destroyers. And yet, there was “Who Do You Love?” blasting from the screen as Maggie Smith and Dev Patel tooled down Route 66 in a convertible. Needless to say, this was the first and only time I was surprised by this film. By their very nature, sequels are a re-tread of a previously successful formula so staying the course is the game plan for movies of this sort. Rest assured director John Madden does just that, hardly deviating form the tone and intent of the surprise 2011 hit. For fans of that film, this is good news. For those who regarded it as a merely passable piece of fluff, well, this is not for you.
Having successfully opened and sustained a hotel in Jaipur, India exclusively for retired British expatriates, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) has his eyes on expanding his slow but ever-burgeoning residence empire. With the ever-prickly Muriel (Maggie Smith, at her acerbic best) in tow, he approaches a hotel magnate (David Strathairn) in America seeking seed money. The proposal is met with a bit of skepticism but the idea of an anonymous inspector coming by to see how Sonny runs things is suggested.
This fills the young man with a bit of hope and he and Muriel return to Jaipur to find the regular tenants, each with their own issues to contend with. Douglas (Bill Nighy) is pining for Evelyn (Judi Dench) but is afraid to tell her; randy Jean (Penelope Wilton) is torn between two rich suitors; Norman (Ronald Pickup) is concerned that his girlfriend Carol (Diana Hardcastle) is running around on him; meanwhile Sonny has to get ready for his marriage to the beautiful and very patient Sunaina (Tina Desai) while everyone is curious about the two new visitors, Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavinia (Tamsin Greig).
There are a great many moving parts here but the problem is none of them move that quickly. Madden takes his time moving from one plot point to the next, failing to generate a sense of urgency because, well, there isn’t any. This is a feel-good movie from the word “go” and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s very predictable and the snail’s pace in which it’s told to work against.
However, the veteran cast is able to inject a bit of life into the film and there’s no denying that the charm they generate between each other is entertaining. Smith continues to deliver a wry, withering comment with the best of them while Dench’s steadfast confidence proves to be a nice compliment to Nighy’s engaging befuddlement. Wilton is flirty, Pickup is funny and Gere has aged gracefully, having lost none of his charm. In short, they’re all pros that hit their marks, know their lines and earn their paychecks. Unfortunately, Patel doesn’t take a cue from his fellow cast members as he opts to rend the scenery at every turn, as if he’s taken it upon himself to jump-start the film. He only proves to be irritating, making me wonder why the rest of the tenants hadn’t moved out and sought other accommodations.
Early on, Muriel refers to American tea as “tepid nonsense” and that’s an apt description of Second Marigold as well. It’s not necessarily bad but it’s hardly inspiring either and while there’s something to be said for revisiting something familiar and satisfying, while watching this film I couldn’t help but feel that I was just killing time, waiting for a better movie to check into.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at [email protected].
