Solid performances and a colourful backdrop saves The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel from its laboured dramatics and cop out resolutions.

The last several years has seen a spike in movies made for and starring the over 60 crowd. And why not? With so many good elder talent still with plenty to say, why should they be relegated to supporting roles in movies made for younger audiences?

Cue The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a comedy drama that brings together several of Britain’s best veteran talent such as Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Maggie Smith.

Based on the novel “The Foolish Things” by Deborah Moggach, the film focuses on a group of British retirees who travel to India and take up residence in a rundown hotel for “the elderly and beautiful”.

A fresh start is the goal for these men and women and the actors playing them have also pressed the refresh button on their on screen personas, taking on roles that are different to the usual. Judi Dench is appealingly vulnerable as a widow learning how to take care of herself, Bill Nighy reins in that cheekiness he is so well known for, and Maggie Smith plays quite the piece of work as a bitter old racist.

Yet despite the stellar ensemble of elder performers it is Dev Patel who gives the best performance as enthusiastic entrepreneur and hotel manager Sonny, a young man struggling to connect his lofty dreams of a successful hotel with the business realities of the situation and deal with his feelings for a call centre operator (Tena Desae) deemed unworthy by his family.

Filmed on location, The Best Exotic… does a great job in capturing the overwhelming hustle bustle and colour of India. Of course being a drama/comedy centric film focusing on several English people, don’t expect much exploration into the country’s crippling poverty and inherent classism.

Directing is John Madden of Shakespeare in Love fame. The film sees his working on a much safer and predictable environment when compared to his last two releases, the grizzly action thrillers The Debt and Killshot. It’s clear that Madden is evoking the spirit of fellow Brit filmmaker Richard Curtis, who wrote the book on how to make an entertaining dramatic comedy ensemble with Love Actually.

While Madden is good with actors, this kid of comedy drama is not his forte. All of the best punch lines are featured in the trailer, and the drama feels sluggish and underutilised, often resulting in cop-out resolutions where characters conveniently flip around old prejudices, begin new careers on a whim or die.

The best advice for seeing The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is to accept these dramatic short cuts as the flaws they are. While its resolutions are of the most contrived nature, its sincerity and performances make up for it.