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Avg. Critic Score: 62 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    We suspect that the film will be about their various problems and that the hotel will not be as advertised. What we may not expect is what a charming, funny and heartwarming movie this is, a smoothly crafted entertainment that makes good use of seven superb veterans. Read full review

  • 75
    Movieline |

    The film is, underneath its surface of warm fuzzies, a precision instrument aimed directly at the heart of its intended, underserved older audience. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    A rare reminder from movies that the grand emotions are not only for the young and the middle-aged. They're the sweetness and torment of life until the last light goes out. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    A refreshing, mature fairy tale. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Even at its most predictable, the winning characterizations and soulful insights into aging keep the handsome film on a warmly satisfying track. Read full review

  • 70
    NPR | Ella Taylor

    It's a sweet-tempered folly in which all's well that ends well. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Marigold Hotel achieves what it sets out to do: Sell something safe and sweet, in a vivid foreign setting, to an underserved share of the moviegoing market. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    So it's a shame that in the end Madden can't keep the tear-jerking from drowning this delicate cinematic flower. The book knew how to hang tough. The movie, not so much. Read full review

  • 50
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    It's predictable fluff, sometimes pleasantly so, at others times irritatingly. Read full review

  • 40
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    It's a shame, of course, that Madden brought the best to such an exotic Top locale without making the most of the opportunity. Read full review

View more reviews for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Fabulously acted retiree drama will appeal more to parents.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is aimed at adults -- grandparents, actually. But that doesn't mean that teenagers can't see it, because there are lots of worthwhile inter-generational lessons about class issues, travel, friendship, tolerance, and what constitutes a healthy marriage. Expect some language (one "f--k," plus a few "s--t"s and other curses), a few racist comments (which are clearly portrayed as ignorant), and sexuality (a young couple kisses passionately, one character reminisces about a gay love affair, and another two are fixated on finding romance) -- including a couple of erection jokes. But with its stellar cast and humorous take on adventure in the "golden years," there's no reason teens can't join their parents in watching.
  • Families can talk about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel's messages about transformation and travel. Does the movie make you want to visit India or somewhere else you've never been?
  • Why are there so few movies and TV shows that feature older characters? Teens: Does seeing a mostly 60-and-up cast make you not want to see a movie? Why?
  • What does the movie have to say about romantic relationships? Which of the relationships in the movie are healthy, and which aren't?
The good stuff
  • message true4 Positive messages: There are some wonderful messages in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel -- like that love shouldn't be based on class or family background and that it's never too late to try something new, change your life, or learn about a different culture.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Each of the characters is a role model (with the possible exception of Mrs. Ainsley, who's difficult and narrow-minded and doesn't really change much). Evelyn bravely takes her very first job and loves it, Graham rights the biggest wrong of his life, Douglas finds the silver lining of being in a country he's never visited before, and Madge and Norman look for romance even though some would say they're too old for it. Even "Young" Sonny stands up to his mother in order to follow his dream of running the hotel for seniors and marrying the woman he loves.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: One character dies unexpectedly.
  • sex false2 Sexy stuff: A few of the couples flirt, and there are jokes about Viagra-like pills. Sonny and Suneina kiss passionately, and in one scene she strips to get into bed with him, only to discover that he's not the person in the bed.
  • language false3 Language: One "f--k," plus a few uses of "s--t," "bollocks," "crap," "hell," "sod it," "oh my God," etc. One character makes several racist remarks at the beginning of the movie, when she refuses to see a black and then South Asian doctor. She wants an "English" (white) doctor.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking at dinners and at a hotel bar.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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