You know, after several more viewings. . .

This has been running pretty continuously on various HBO channels over the past couple months now, and my wife and I will leave it on if there’s not anything else on. I was one of those people who was genuinely disappointed with this film when I first saw it.

However, I have to say that I’ve come to appreciate the film a bit more after repeated viewings. The locations, music, and general ambiance of the sequel are still enjoyable, and I’ve noted a few more bits of dialogue and plot points that I didn’t catch the first time around. The central storyline of the hotel’s expansion plans and the undercover inspectors is fine, and even Sonny isn’t so bad for me (in particular his pandering to Guy’s character is rather amusing).

Overall, while not a very good film by any stretch, it’s pleasant and easy to pick up from whatever point you happen to turn it on.

That said, the profoundly disappointing elements in the film not only remain, but they almost grate even more because they are so glaring. I’m especially referring to the storylines concerning:
- Douglas’s and Evelyn’s relationship having stalled and turned awkward, after seemingly being all set at the end of part 1. A completely manufactured conflict.
- Norman putting out a hit on his girlfriend and their misunderstanding (or whatever) about the commitment level of their relationship.
- The unlikeliness of Madge’s relationship with her driver (though admittedly it’s kind of sweet).
- Guy’s relationship with Mrs. Kapoor. If you wanted to have him romance her a bit that would have been one thing, but for them to actually spend the night together is terribly farfetched and shoehorns a Western convention into the film, as an Indian woman of her generation would be remarkably unlikely to do that (even if she did it solely to help her son’s business aspirations).

I wish they had come up with better storylines for most of the cast, and wonder if they didn’t rush into making this film. Perhaps simply allowing the writer more time to come up with better material would have helped, even if it meant the film didn’t come out until this year.