It's easy to forgive the formulaic predictability of a film that is discharged with as much flair as this India-set rom-com loosely based on Deborah Moggach's 2004 novel These Foolish Things.
Completely contrived but utterly delightful, it's the story of seven British pensioners who independently retire to Rajasthan ("It's like the Costa del Sol ... with elephants," explains one) when they find their late-life finances a bit short. Director Madden (Shakespeare in Love) delivers an opening series of crisp vignettes that give the characters' back-stories while offering a pointed commentary on life in modern Britain. But once the sexagenarian band lands in Udaipur, the hotel becomes the stage set for a mild farce rich in poignant moments.
Stars: 4/5
Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel
Director: John Madden
Running time: 124 mins
Rating: PG (coarse language, sexual references)
Verdict: Utterly contrived, completely delightful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCOHe8z1l2o&feature=player_embedded
Read further: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10792547
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