Starring Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith
Directed by John Madden
Despite boasting a veritable constellation of veteran British stars, John Madden's ensemble dramedy only succeeds in delivering the unintended moral: You're never too old to indulge in clichés. First and foremost: India is synonymous with self-discovery.
With circumstances in England conspiring against them, a requisitely disparate group of seniors adjourn to a Jaipur resort that's promised inexpensive luxury accommodation. Rather predictably, a too-good-to-be-true scenario proves to be just that. They arrive to discover a dilapidated property kept in perpetual chaos by its inexperienced manager (Dev Patel). Further exasperating the situation for the group's loveable racist (Maggie Smith) is the very fact that they're in India. Upon seeing her room steward, she's heard to protest, There's an Indian in my room!
Granted, the film is more than just bland comedy. We're also treated to Judi Dench living out every septuagenarians power fantasy of confronting a foreign telemarketer in person and teaching them some proper manners. Tepid domestic drama comes courtesy of Bill Nighy inexplicably dithering over whether he should stay with his monstrous wife. And while Tom Wilkinson's character inhabits a legitimately involving storyline, it's given short shrift, presumably because its particulars might be unpalatable for the film's target audience.
However, screenwriter Ol Parker's appetite for lightweight exoticism and tidy conclusions ultimately meets with results that border on odious. A thoroughly insulting climax sees the Britons solving all of their new Indian acquaintances' woes courtesy of their boundless financial and romantic wisdom. Leaving the theatre, you'll find the final scenes sitting about as well as bad chicken vindaloo.
