“Marigold Hotel” warmed a wintry afternoon

What’s a group of Brits to do when they have trouble stretching retirement money to make ends meet?  The newly restored Marigold Hotel offers an exotic  life of leisure in less expensive India.  Of course, things don’t go to plan, and this group of OAPs  arrive to find that reality does not match up to the glossy advertisements of the brochure. With a cast containing great actresses  like Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, in my view, it couldn’t fail.

Photo By Fox Searchlight Pictures

The weather outside was atrocious, a typical wintry Wellington day, but inside the theatre our own little group of OAPs (me, Robin, our friend Kathryn, and a few assorted strangers), were transferred to a world full of curries, colour, and crowds as life in India swirled around the new arrivals.  Some embraced their new place of residence, coming to terms with life in a different country where things are done so differently, while others couldn’t wait to get back to “good old Blighty”  This film certainly brightened a cold miserable day, and went on to show that just because one is elderly, you can still live your dream, even if that dream is not quite what you originally envisioned.