An all-star comedy in the same vein as such crowd-pleasers as “The Full Monty,” “Calendar Girls” and other British charmers, John Madden’s “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is the kind of movie they seldom make anymore – except in England. When they try to do it in America, you wind up with something like Garry Marshall’s “New Year’s Eve” – or worse.

Based on the novel “These Foolish Things” by Deborah Moggach, “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (opening in limited release 5/4/12) brings together Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and a few others for a seductive fish-out-of-water tale. And I’m using “fish” in the plural. (More…)