From Canterbury Tales to Best Exotic Marigold

The trailer for this movie, which I saw far too many times, made it seem idiotic, but in fact The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a sweet and funny movie, maybe a little too long and not something you can really believe in for more than a few minutes but a pleasant diversion. Among other qualities, great acting by an ensemble caste of British veterans who almost alone must account for half of the British foreign exchange: Bill Nighy, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson - what is this, a Dickens BBC adaptation? No, apparently an adaptation of a novel, These Foolish Things. I've never been to India, but Marigold seems to capture more of the actual crowding, bustle, danger, poverty, but also life, verve, color, activity than almost any other movie we've seen here recently, more than Slumdog even - at least, the first half of the movie does; as M shrewdly pointed out to me, the Jaipur was pretty much cleaned up by the end of the movie, a very subtle way in which the visuals of the film entirely change our attitude toward the country, in the way that a musical score can affect and in fact create our reactions. The basic plot is that a group of about 8 English folks, all +60 and facing some kind of challenge in England, poverty or loneliness, e.g., travel to a new retirement home set up in India by a young India dreamer (Dev Patel?, star of Slumdog) who hopes to create a big retirement community for English people. The English, a la Canterbury Tales, each have a different story and each have a different attitude toward the country. As you'd expect, this being a comedy, just about everyone is brought around and finds love and happiness and learns to love the country that at first seemed overwhelming and frightening; of course one meanie doesn't get it and is exiled - as is also typical of most great British (and Greek) comedy. Meanwhile, in the subplot, the hotel owner persuades his recalcitrant mom and gets to marry his sweetie rather than give up the hotel and settle for an arranged marriage. Goodness reigns - in movies, if not in life. Plenty of crisp dialogue and sharp-edged British wit (I'm going to splash some water on my face - pray god, I may drown, e.g.) throughout. John Madden's movie breaks no new ground, but it's the kind of thing the Brits have done to perfection and it delivers on its promise.