Finding Your Feet

First Hit: A very inspirational, delightful and fun film.

Sandra (Imelda Staunton) is married to Mike (John Sessions) who has just received his MBE from the British Crown. They live in a big house and Sandra is a dutiful wife giving everything of herself to support her husband.

During a party she walks in on Mike making-out with their mutual friend Pamela (Josie Lawrence) and Mike tells her that they've had the affair going on for five years. Mike has no intention of stopping the affair.

Sandra walks out of the house and goes to her sister Bif's (Celia Imrie) flat which is in a very crowded common person's neighborhood. Bif is an adventurer. At about age 70, she takes dancing classes with others her age, rides a bike and goes swimming in a outdoor pond facility. Her flat is messy. Her life has been and is lived as fully as she can make it.

Sandra and Bif have not been in contact with each other for years and their two juxtaposed lifestyles make it difficult for them to live together, but gentle nudging from Bif and her friends, Charlie (Timothy Spall), Ted (David Hayman), and Jackie (Joanna Lumley), she begins to realize she's suppressed her life for Mike and slowly becomes more joyous and carefree.

At their mutual dance class, they learn new steps and put on a spontaneous mashup performance that gets filmed and goes viral. They get invited to Rome to perform.

After Bif passes away, Mike and Pamela break up and Mike realizes he misses what he had. He asks Sandra to come back into their home. She gives it a try, but the lessons she's learned about herself from her newfound friends require her step into her life and find her own feet.

Staunton is fantastic as a once brave woman re-finding her source of inspiration for living her life. Sessions is excellent as the stuffy brit who took advantage of his wife's loyalty and lived only for himself. Imrie was amazing as Sandra's sister Bif. Her edge was perfectly appropriate for the part. I loved her story about having only one love while they were in Rome.  Spall was sublime as the loyal husband who has a wife with alzheimer's. I loved how he got his van back when it was confiscated. Hayman was wonderful as one of the dance team and a close friend of Charlie. Lumley was great as one of the dance team and inspirational friend. Meg Leonard and Nick Moorcroft wrote and wonderfully touching script. Richard Loncraine did an excellent job of directing this ensemble of performers to deliver a wonderfully inspiring film.

Overall: This film was filled with emotion through endearing characters that most everyone could relate to.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

First Hit:  At times funny and joyous while at other times it seemed to be trying to tell too many sub-stories.

There is always a risk in creating a follow-on film because of the comparison between it and the original. Sometimes films move the same character into a totally different situation, others expand or further develop the original storyline. Here we have the later.

Making a success of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, proprietor Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) and Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) have set their sights on adding a new hotel to their mix. They make a pitch for co-financing with a San Diego company.

Then we have Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) and Douglas Ainslie (Bill Nighy) are still dancing around getting together as a couple – “we aren’t together, but we aren’t not together”. And, Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) is still trying to decide whom to settle down with. Then there's Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) and Carol Parr (Diana Hardcastle) who are testing each other about the exclusivity or non-exclusivity of their relationship.

Besides these stories and other smaller stories and then there is the major story of Sonny and Sunaina (Tina Desai) planning and having their wedding - which is treated as a second hand story. Then there is this story about a hotel inspection by Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) who happens to fall in love with Sonny’s mother Mrs. Kapoor (Lillete Dubey). Their interaction lacked chemistry which is unfortunate because it could have been a interesting story (for a follow-on film).

There is a lot going on in the film and it’s great that the director wanted to tell something of all the stories, however it became distracting.

Patel is a wonderful personality and his joy in what he does brings his character to life. Smith is really great as a dour person. There are moments of shared internal dialogue that are wonderful as well. Dench is strong as someone who wants to reach out and is afraid to take the step. Nighy is amazing and is such a joy in this film. The film is much better with him in it. Imrie is really good as someone who is doing her best to settle down. Pickup was OK as someone who likes his fantasies but wants to be in reality. Hardcastle is strong as the woman who wants a full relationship but tries to be less monogamous. Desai is joyous to watch as the bride to be. Gere is OK as the hotel inspector want-to-be writer. While Dubey was just OK as Sonny’s mother. Ol Parker wrote the screenplay which was a bit too busy. John Madden captured lots of the Indian magic of Jaipur – one of my favorite cities in India.

Overall:  I enjoyed the film. I liked seeing the city of Jaipur again but felt that there were too many strong stories being expressed.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

First Hit:  This was a lovely film with fine acting based in a wonderful story.

When it comes to retiring and what to do next, the options can be very limited based on finances.

Here we have a group of British elderly people who, for mostly financial reasons, find this ad for “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” in Jaipur, India. A recently widowed Evelyn (played by Judi Dench) had always left everything thing up to her husband and when she finds out that selling the flat they live in will only pay off the bills he accumulated, she sees this as a way to do something on her own and to not be controlled any longer.

Graham (played by Tom Wilkinson) is a judge who decides he has to make something right that has been bothering him since his young days in India. Douglas and Jean (played by Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton respectively) are married and with their meager savings given to their daughter who is involved in a internet startup, they have little or nothing to live on. She is perpetually angry and judgmental of everyone, while Douglas is loyal, inquisitive, interested in life and wants to make the best of everything.

Muriel (played by Maggie Smith) is a physically rundown house manager, who has nothing to do, is bitter, racist, and needs a hip operation. Norman (played by Ronald Pickup), who is a very aged "player" looking for the next woman he can score on.

And lastly Madge (played by Celia Imrie) who can’t stand watching her grandkids as her life’s work, wants passion of the heart and loves men. They make the arduous trip to Jaipur together slowly becoming traveling companions along the way. When they arrive, the Hotel (for the “elderly and beautiful”) is run down and looks nothing like it does in the brochures.

Most want to go home but as they begin to settle in, most find things of interest to explore:  Graham, a past relationship; Douglas, exploring the many sights of India; and Evelyn, a job as a coach for a telemarketing firm. Meanwhile Muriel, is bitter about how she ended up here but slowly discovers she has something to offer. Jean holds on to what isn’t (that she has money, is in England, and is happy) and makes appears to make Douglas’ life difficult. Norman tries to hit on Madge but is rebuffed as being not enough, but actually finds the "top of the mountain." 

Madge, tries to hit on men and but is slowly understanding that time may have passed her by. The Hotel is run by Sonny (played by Dev Patel) who has high hopes. But as a dreamer he’s great and as a businessman he is not very adept. His controlling mother wants the building sold and Sonny to come live with her in Delhi.

However, Sonny has a gorgeous girlfriend named Sunaina (played by Tena Desae) who is disliked (although unmet) by Sonny’s mother and Sunaina believes in Sonny.

As Sonny says’ throughout the film: Everything will be perfect in the end, if it is not yet perfect, it is not yet the end. And as you will guess by now, at the end of the film, it is all perfect.

Dench is wonderful as a woman believing that she can and will take charge of her life, her scenes with the telemarketers were beautifully spot on. Wilkinson was sublime as the judge who wanted to right a long past wrong. Nighy steals every scene he is in. He is a joy to watch. Wilton was downright perfect as a woman who is bitter for all that isn’t in her life. Smith was transformative in this role as she slowly learns her next step. Pickup is gangly charming but actually gets real and finds love. Imrie is fun and interesting to watch as she works herself up to be a woman wanted by men. Patel exudes Indian charm and optimism and brings a smile each time he’s on screen. Desae is beautiful and in her beauty demands you watch her in the scenes she is in. Ol Parker wrote a charming script with strong characters for each. John Madden put this great ensemble together and orchestrated them to make a very fun, poignant (for older people) watchable film.

Overall:  Although many can enjoy this film, the older audience will get far more out of it – it helps to have experience with the challenges of age.