MovieChat Forums > The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) Discussion > Two movies and still no character develo...

Two movies and still no character development!

posted 9 years ago by VidaBoheme
10 replies | jump to latest

First off, Muriel (Maggie Smith) seems like 5 different characters throughout the course of the 2 films; racist, curmudgeon, sage, business advisor and sympathetic mother figure. I'm sorry, but I don't feel like the writers did the work to showcase her journey.

Judie Dench and Bill Nighy stayed exactly where they were at the end of movie one and only by the end of movie 2 they get to start dating? They should have had already built up something substantial at the beginning of SBEMH.

Richard Gere was a complete waste. I wasn't invested at all with his relationship with Sonny's mother. In fact, there wasn't one relationship I cared about. Adultery, fighting, betrayal....zzzzzzzz. It didn't work. maybe in The Third Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?

[–] mitsub001-1 9 years ago

Did you even see the first movie? Everything you wanted to know about Muriel was explained in her heart wrenching speech about spending decades raising a family that wasn't hers, only to be discarded when she got older. Being secluded in a rich, white, bigoted family made her the way she was and seeing how the rest of the people were slowly changed her. No reason she would have forgotten her Mothering skills or her ability to run a business as she ran a household.

You're more than welcome to post a link of your movie, though. If it's better than this one, I am sure we all would love to see it.

[–] VidaBoheme 9 years ago

I'm not so bothered by your having an opinion on how you think Muriel developed as a character.

I'm more put off by your snotty, sh!t attitude about me posting my own movie review. So, I don't have a right to critique a movie on IMDB without being a filmmaker first?

Posts like this make it sound like it's coming from someone that was involved with the making of the movie. I don't get why you would take what I have to say SO personally. I do know that you're a twaaaaat.

[–] mitsub001-1 9 years ago

Sounds like you are only one taking any of this personally. Nice to know you don't like twat, though. You guys are getting more rights all the time.

Marion Cotillard, Keira Knightley and Olga Kurylenko are the most beautiful women on Earth.

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

there isn't mmuch consistency with muriel. her backstory is actully a bit improbable - devoted family retainers are a bit of a rarity in this day and age. And how does she suddenly turn into a dynamic businesswoman? i think her character is better in the book - she isn't particularly racist,and she goes to india for quite different reasons than she does in the film. i think it is rather a pity they didn't keep that part of the book.

[–] mail-2217 9 years ago

And 'Sonny' is, if anything, even more insecure than the 1st time.

This is why sequels so often blow... the writers think viewers want the same sandwich just with a (slightly) new salad dressing.

Which yields the following reaction: I think I'll just have the old sandwich.

[–] Jelly-4 9 years ago

That was my main issue with the movie. While there was some character development in the first movie, the second movie just backtracks.

Judie Dench and Bill Nighy stayed exactly where they were at the end of movie one and only by the end of movie 2 they get to start dating?

This was SO bizarre to me. They had already established that they were a couple in the first movie and they spend the second movie missing one another and having awkward conversations only to finish where they left off in the first ??!?!??

And as someone said, Sonny is even more wound up and this plot with a so-called rival was just silly. It may have been interesting if either the rival were truly after his fiancée or if he wound up being good friends with Sonny, but it was just silly drivel. That's how I'd describe the second movie -- silly drivel. Loved the first, but won't bother seeing the 3rd if there is one after this nonsense.

[–] mitsub001-1 9 years ago

This was SO bizarre to me. They had already established that they were a couple in the first movie and they spend the second movie missing one another and having awkward conversations only to finish where they left off in the first ??!?!??

Did you not even watch the first movie? They never dated. He is still married. He gave her a ride on a motorcycle. You hoped they might start dating but they clearly hadn't yet.

[–] Jelly-4 9 years ago

Even if they hadn't dated, the presumption is that they are going to start a relationship. Then they spend two hours of the next movie in an awkward mating dance.

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

they are shown riding round on a motorcycle at the end of the first film looking very relaxec and happy together. it certainly gives the impression that they are a couple.

[–] Keely 9 years ago

I'm with you, VidaBoheme. Also extremely disappointed in the way they made Dev Patel's character, who was so bright and winning in the first movie, into a complete jackass.