[three-star-rating]Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Dev Patel, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Penelope Wilton, Celia Emrie, Lillette Dubey, Tena Desae, David Strathairn[/three-star-rating]
Everything about this light comedy feels like the second time around – equally as charming and choppy as the first. Like the shaky Indian hotel that started the films, it hopes to skate by on good will rather than sound structure.
It’s a good thing the setting is alluring. These venerable English actors are simply stellar. Plus, there’s a colorful wedding to attend, a fabric factory to tour, and a few gorgeous, crumbling Indian sites to explore.
In the first foray, a lot of English elders were barely squeaking by on paltry pensions. They all moved to India to save money. They landed in a rundown hotel owned by Patel (Slumdog Millionaire). There, these seniors battled culture shock as well as some of the ghosts they’d hoped to leave back in the UK.
The source martial is an episodic novel by Deborah Moggach. Talk before and after the first flick focused on the possibility of a television “britcom.” The first film felt like it was cobbled together from TV scripts. This second film feels even more so, introducing and dropping plot points left and right.
Dench and Nighy are still struggling through their nascent romance. Hardcastle and Pickup are still sexual warriors deciding if they want to be exclusive. Smith’s health is still failing. Patel has gone on from wooing Desae to planning their wedding, as he also looks to expand his business.
This empire building leads Patel and Smith to America, where they meet with an investment firm. Boss Strathairn says he’ll send a spy to see if they want to invest. Of course, Gere shows up.
On top of all these disparate plot strands, Patel’s mom (Dubey) is trying to move on from her widowhood. Patel is showing the same jealousy that plagued him in the first film. Nighy hasn’t finalized his divorce. Someone may have inadvertently taken a hit out on someone else. Dench has been offered a tentative job, etcetera, etcetera, and etcetera. It smacks of soap opera – cheapening the few scenes with true heart and leaving the audience hanging.
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The entire production team is back. Director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Mrs. Brown) has a great sense of emotion. Cinematographer Ben Smithard (My Week with Marilyn, Belle) creates beautiful images. Thomas Newman (Finding Nemo, American Beauty) provides a sumptuous score. Author Ol Parker delivers some lovely, intimate scenes – mostly with Dench – but he still cannot provide unity.
It’s too many stories – too many directions – at the expense of the whole.
What works here – despite the fragmented construction – is that these British actors are simply delightful. The setting is tantalizing, inviting exploration. The comedy and emotion are light and easy. TSBEMH a pleasant return trip; it’s also too much to take in on such a short journey.
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