Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

We suspect that the film will be about their various problems and that the hotel will not be as advertised. What we may not expect is what a charming, funny and heartwarming movie this is, a smoothly crafted entertainment that makes good use of seven superb veterans.

Tampa Bay Times by Steve Persall

Director John Madden and an ensemble of polished actors in their second primes make this a constant amusement and a nice alternative at the movies.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is an ersatz experience, a commingling of forced uplift and exotica, but it's moving anyway.

Empire by Anna Smith

Charming, delightful and amusing - just what you'd expect from the star-studded cast of veterans.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Graham is the most affecting character by far, having returned to India for the first time in 40 years to track down an old lover. His story unfolds in surprising, deftly handled ways, and could easily have justified a film of its own.

Miami Herald by Connie Ogle

As for the Marigold Hotel, well, it's not the Delano. But overall it's a fine spot to spend a couple of hours.

Movieline by Alison Willmore

The film is, underneath its surface of warm fuzzies, a precision instrument aimed directly at the heart of its intended, underserved older audience.

USA Today by Claudia Puig

A refreshing, mature fairy tale.

San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle

A rare reminder from movies that the grand emotions are not only for the young and the middle-aged. They're the sweetness and torment of life until the last light goes out.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Phillips

The attitudes evinced by most of the characters, and the movie itself, are those of the admiring tourist, and as two-hour tours go, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel goes smoothly.

The Hollywood Reporter

Even at its most predictable, the winning characterizations and soulful insights into aging keep the handsome film on a warmly satisfying track.

Village Voice by Nick Pinkerton

The plot twists are about as venerable as the cast and predictably affecting when performed with such old-hand proficiency.

The New Yorker by David Denby

Judi Dench is especially good; playing a vulnerable character, for a change, she allows her habitual toughness to give way to uncertainty, fear, and moments of gathering resolve, and she delivers one of her most wide-ranging and moving performances. [7 May 2012, p. 81]

Variety by Leslie Felperin

The powerhouse cast is so capable, the actors just about manage to play the picture as if it were a "Midsummer Night's Dream"-style frothy farce, with marigold garlands and picturesque poverty.

Slant Magazine

The film is home to some unique redeeming factors, but it panders to viewers by diluting its lesson, which teaches that some comfort zones can only be truly abandoned on the other side of the world.

Time Out by Keith Uhlich

Madden pads the film with shimmering images of Jaipur and its surroundings; a midmovie funeral sequence - 'cause somebody's got to kick the bucket! - even manages to be somewhat evocative and moving. The rest makes you long for senility to set in, but quick.

Total Film

The pleasure of seeing a supergroup of Brit-veterans soon withers in an OAP comedy that plumps for light laughs over deeper insights.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

It is oddly like an Agatha Christie thriller with all the pasteboard characters, 2D backstories and foreign locale, but no murder.